Influences of Perceived Environment, Partner Support, and Attitudinal Familism on Physical Activity Among Mexican American Women

Influences of Perceived Environment, Partner Support, and Attitudinal Familism on Physical Activity Among Mexican American Women PDF Author: Neomie Ceta Congello
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ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 168

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Healthy lifestyle behaviors such as engaging in physical activity (PA) may reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), the number one cause of mortality among Mexican American women (MAW). Research findings show that MAW have low levels of leisure time PA and vary in the amount of overall PA. The influence of partner support has received little attention in studies examining predictors of PA. This cross sectional study investigated factors influencing PA among MAW aged 19 to 64 years old (mean = 39.4, SD = 11.1) who may be at increased risk for CVD based on hypertension, diabetes and obesity rates reported for the general population of Latinos. The study was guided by an ecological framework with variables identified at the community (the physical environment), interpersonal (family, friends and partner support, attitudinal familism, and intrapersonal levels (age, employment status, acculturation, body mass index [BMI], number of chronic health conditions). The sample recruited from Southern California included 112 self-identified MAW, predominantly born in Mexico (n = 98, 88 %) and overweight/obese, who had low income and lived with their partner. An instrument packet was administered via individual interviews to facilitate understanding of questions among women with varying educational backgrounds and ability to read and write. The following self-report measures were administered in either Spanish or English: The Short International Physical Activity Questionnaire, the Abbreviated Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale, an adapted Social Support and Exercise Survey, the Attitudinal Familism Scale, a demographic questionnaire and the General Acculturation Index. Although perceived PA ranged widely from low to high, a surprisingly large number of women (77.5%) reported moderate to high levels. Results of Pearson product-moment correlations showed that higher partner support, residential density, and acculturation and lower neighborhood crime were significantly associated with higher levels of PA. Acculturation and partner support were found to be significant predictors of PA in the multiple regression analyses. These findings suggest that future PA studies examining influences on PA and those testing PA intervention programs for MAW should address partner support and acculturation factors. Clinicians are encouraged to assess facilitators and barriers to PA in counseling MAW.

Influences of Perceived Environment, Partner Support, and Attitudinal Familism on Physical Activity Among Mexican American Women

Influences of Perceived Environment, Partner Support, and Attitudinal Familism on Physical Activity Among Mexican American Women PDF Author: Neomie Ceta Congello
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 168

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Book Description
Healthy lifestyle behaviors such as engaging in physical activity (PA) may reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), the number one cause of mortality among Mexican American women (MAW). Research findings show that MAW have low levels of leisure time PA and vary in the amount of overall PA. The influence of partner support has received little attention in studies examining predictors of PA. This cross sectional study investigated factors influencing PA among MAW aged 19 to 64 years old (mean = 39.4, SD = 11.1) who may be at increased risk for CVD based on hypertension, diabetes and obesity rates reported for the general population of Latinos. The study was guided by an ecological framework with variables identified at the community (the physical environment), interpersonal (family, friends and partner support, attitudinal familism, and intrapersonal levels (age, employment status, acculturation, body mass index [BMI], number of chronic health conditions). The sample recruited from Southern California included 112 self-identified MAW, predominantly born in Mexico (n = 98, 88 %) and overweight/obese, who had low income and lived with their partner. An instrument packet was administered via individual interviews to facilitate understanding of questions among women with varying educational backgrounds and ability to read and write. The following self-report measures were administered in either Spanish or English: The Short International Physical Activity Questionnaire, the Abbreviated Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale, an adapted Social Support and Exercise Survey, the Attitudinal Familism Scale, a demographic questionnaire and the General Acculturation Index. Although perceived PA ranged widely from low to high, a surprisingly large number of women (77.5%) reported moderate to high levels. Results of Pearson product-moment correlations showed that higher partner support, residential density, and acculturation and lower neighborhood crime were significantly associated with higher levels of PA. Acculturation and partner support were found to be significant predictors of PA in the multiple regression analyses. These findings suggest that future PA studies examining influences on PA and those testing PA intervention programs for MAW should address partner support and acculturation factors. Clinicians are encouraged to assess facilitators and barriers to PA in counseling MAW.

Perceived Influences on Physical Activity and Diet in Rural, Low-income Adults

Perceived Influences on Physical Activity and Diet in Rural, Low-income Adults PDF Author: Betty L. Kaiser
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ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 250

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Exploring Intersections in the Intimate Lives of Mexican Origin Women

Exploring Intersections in the Intimate Lives of Mexican Origin Women PDF Author: Ana Astrid Lucero-Liu
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 268

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Relationship research on Mexican origin women often focuses on their ethnicity while ignoring other aspects of their lives. Mexican origin women are diverse and as researchers we need to study this diversity. Informed by Chicana Feminism, this dissertation examines the experiences of Mexican origin women in intimate relationship in the form of three manuscripts. My goal is to make Mexican origin women's voices more wholly heard in relationship research. The first manuscript is a conceptual one, in which I examine the shortcomings of relationship research on heterosexual Mexican origin women. Some scholars have regarded Mexican origin women as a"triple minority"(see Arellano & Ayala-Alcantar, 2004) due to their disadvantaged social locations in terms of gender, ethnicity, and social class. I argue that in order to fully understand the experiences of Mexican origin women, it is necessary to study the intersections in which they are situated. This manuscript critically examines how the intersection of gender, ethnicity, and class affects women's experiences in heterosexual intimate relationships. In the second manuscript, I examine Mexican origin women's perceptions of the division of childcare and how these perceptions influence evaluations of their romantic and parenting relationships. Results reveal women's perceptions of the division of childcare impact both their romantic and parenting relationship. The moderating effects of gender role attitudes are also investigated. Results demonstrate the diversity of Mexican origin women's experiences within families. Lastly, in the third manuscript, I explore the impact of structural, behavioral, and attitudinal familism on relationship conflict. Participants were 64 cohabiting or married couples of Mexican origin. Actor and partner effects of structural, behavioral, and attitudinal familism on relationship conflict wereexamined with a series of structural equation models using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (Kashy & Kenny, 2000; Kenny & Cook, 1999). Results reveal that higher levels of men's behavioral familism is associated with lower levels of relationship conflict. Furthermore, higher levels of men's structural and behavioral familism are also associated with lower levels of their partner's relationship conflict. Results suggest that structural and behavioral familism for men may promote healthy relationships, as evidenced by lower relationship conflict.

Acculturation, Behavioral Risk Factors, and Cardio-metabolic Dysfunction in Mexican American Women Living in a Border Region

Acculturation, Behavioral Risk Factors, and Cardio-metabolic Dysfunction in Mexican American Women Living in a Border Region PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781124803081
Category : Ethnic attitudes
Languages : en
Pages : 66

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Acculturation has been associated with health behaviors, and to a lesser extent, health outcomes among Latinos; however, inconsistencies exist regarding the nature of these relationships. Moreover, little is known about the underlying mechanisms linking acculturation to Latino health outcomes. The current study examined the relationship between acculturation, behavioral risk factors, and cardio-metabolic dysfunction in Mexican American women, and evaluated the contribution of social and economic pathways to observed associations. Participants were a random sample of 302 Mexican American women (mean age 49.77 years), recruited from communities with wide-ranging socioeconomic status (SES) located on the United States (US) side of the Tijuana (Mexico) - San Diego (US) border. Women underwent a clinical exam and completed a battery of questionnaires including demographic (age, US exposure, education, and income), cultural (language acculturation, familism, fatalism, religiosity), social (social support, sociability), and behavioral (leisure-time physical activity, sedentary behavior, walking, fruit and vegetable servings, and dietary fat) variables. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) and structural equation models (SEMs) were performed in the total sample. CFAs revealed single latent constructs for English language acculturation (childhood language, English proficiency, and adult language patterns), SES (education and income), resilient cultural values (familism and religiosity), and social resources (social support and sociability). SEMs showed statistically significant direct effects of English language acculturation to more sedentary behavior and resilient cultural values to more self-reported walking. In addition, the indirect effects of US exposure to more sedentary behavior through language acculturation, English language acculturation to more sedentary behavior through SES, and resilient cultural values to more fruit and vegetable servings through social resources were also significant (CFI = 0.90, RMSEA = .10, SRMR = 0.04). Finally, significant mediated effects were found for English language acculturation to lower cardio-metabolic dysfunction via higher SES, and higher SES to lower cardio-metabolic dysfunction via lower fatalism (CFI= .89, RMSEA = .11, SRMR = .04). Behavioral variables did not appear to mediate the acculturation and cardio-metabolic dysfunction relationship. Acculturation and related cultural variables were associated with behavioral risk factors and cardio-metabolic dysfunction in middle-aged Mexican American women. SES and social resources may represent relevant pathways in explaining these associations.

The Effects of Neighborhood Environments on the Level of Physical Activity Among Older African American Women in Texas

The Effects of Neighborhood Environments on the Level of Physical Activity Among Older African American Women in Texas PDF Author: Woo Hwa Shin
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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The older African American women living Texas fall into one of the most inactive population segments. Recently, the importance of socio-ecological models on human health behavior and more complex associations between variables have been discussed. Therefore, this cross-sectional study focuses on investigating the trends in physical activity among older African American women, exploring the effects of actual environmental variables that might encourage or discourage their physical activity, and discovering any plausible mediating effects between environmental factors and older African American women's physical activity. The study sample is composed of African American women aged 55 to 84 who reside in independent housing in Bryan, Texas. A total of 282 older African American women's addresses were systematically selected and a self-administrated survey questionnaire documenting the level of physical activity, psychological well-being, sense of community, perception of safety, physical health status, and background information was collected for each of the women. The environmental influences of natural and built environments were defined using two boundaries: 1) nearby home level (0.5 mile street distance), and 2) neighborhood level (1 mile street distance) from the participant's house. The natural and built environments were measured using a Geographic Information System (GIS) and aerial photographs. Results showed that a) walking was the most prevalent type of physical activity and streets were the most popular places for older African American women; b) at the nearby home level, greenery and land use mixture were positively associated with older African American women's physical activity while street pattern and access to commercial areas influenced their physical activity at the neighborhood level; and c) perceptions of crime-related neighborhood problems had significant mediating effects decreasing older African American women's physical activity. The findings revealed that the environmental variables had a distance effects on older women's physical activity. In addition, on a policy level, neighborhood problems should be dealt with using careful insight in order to encourage physical activity.

Barriers & Motivators to Physical Activity in Older Mexican American Men

Barriers & Motivators to Physical Activity in Older Mexican American Men PDF Author: Evangeline M. Dowling
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Electronic dissertations
Languages : en
Pages : 162

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The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the cultural, social, environmental, and gender factors that may influence physical activity (PA) in older Mexican American (MA) men living in Tucson, Arizona. The Mexican origin population is the fastest growing Hispanic subgroup in our nation, increasing from 20.6 million in the year 2000 to 31.8 million in 2010. Arizona has the sixth largest Hispanic population in the United States and the Mexican origin population accounts for 91% of Arizona's Hispanics. Despite the fast growing Mexican population, there are a limited number of studies that examine MAs and PA. There are even fewer interventions created to foster PA among older (65 years old) MA men. Fourteen individual interviews were conducted with older MA men living in Tucson, Arizona. Data was collected, organized, and analyzed according to the methodologies of Clark Moustakas and the Social Ecology Model for Health Promotion framework. Six themes emerged which reflected the older MA male's perception of health, masculinity, and physical activity: a) Retirement promotes self-care behaviors, b) Women, health care providers, and the Internet are important in promoting health, c) Aging changes physical activity, d) I take care of myself, e) Physical activity is a personal choice and lifestyle, and f) I learn and make adjustments as needed. Themes were used to create textural and structural descriptions of their experiences. Descriptions were formed into the essence of the phenomenon. The results of this study increase our understanding of health, masculinity, and physical activity in older MA men. This research will inform the development of an evidence-based PA intervention to promote cardiovascular (CV) health in older MA men that may be implemented in a variety of community-based settings.

Relation of Acculturation, Perceived Benefits and Barriers, Self-efficacy, Social Support, and Beliefs about Physical Activity to Physical Activity Levels of College-aged Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Women

Relation of Acculturation, Perceived Benefits and Barriers, Self-efficacy, Social Support, and Beliefs about Physical Activity to Physical Activity Levels of College-aged Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Women PDF Author: Katherine Elizabeth Serna Velasquez
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 350

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Book Description
Two overall national health goals are to increase the quality and years of healthy life and to eliminate health disparities. Physical inactivity is a leading cause of disability and death due to its relationship with overweight and chronic disease. Hispanic women are less physically active than Hispanic men and Anglo women in leisure time physical activity and recommended levels of physical activity (PA). From a developmental perspective, understanding prevalence and correlates of PA in emerging adulthood may make a significant contribution to increasing PA as women move into full adulthood. The Health Promotion Model (HPM) advanced by Pender provided the framework for examining beliefs about PA and other correlates of PA. This study also developed and tested a scale measuring beliefs about PA (BPA) that tried to access cultural differences between non-Hispanic and Hispanic women. The study was carried out by electronic solicitation to randomly selected non-Hispanic and Hispanic students from 3 southwestern universities and yielded 237 complete online surveys. Instruments comprising the survey included the Short-version of the International PA Questionnaire (IPAQ), Exercise Benefits and Barriers Scale (EBBS), Self-Efficacy for Exercise (SEE), Social Support for Exercise Survey for Family and Friends (SSFA, SSFR), BPA, the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans (ARSMA II), and questions about SES. Statistical procedures included factor analysis, t-tests, and multi-sample path analysis. Respondents included 80 non-Hispanic and 157 Hispanic women, aged 18-27. Factor analysis of the BPA produced 7 subscales accounting for 68% of the explained variance (spirituality, role enhancement, socialization preferences, personal benefits, cultural beliefs, exercise difficulty, and women's roles). Independent sample t-tests indicated group means for spirituality and cultural beliefs significantly differed, as did total BPA, acculturation, & SES. Path analysis provided evidence for a model with good fit for both groups. Significant path coefficients to vigorous PA included benefits, SE, and SSFA. Total indirect effects for SES to vigorous PA through SE and SSFA were significant. Acculturation, SES, SSFR, and BPA were not significant predictors of vigorous PA.

Health and Behavior Among Latina Women and Their Children

Health and Behavior Among Latina Women and Their Children PDF Author: Michelle Danit Lesar
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 86

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Health and Behavior Among Latina Women and Their Children: Associations with Social Support, Perception of Safety, and Neighborhood Disorder By Michelle Danit Lesar Doctor of Philosophy in Epidemiology University of California, Berkeley Professor (Emeritus) Sherman L. Syme, Chair Social epidemiology focuses on the health effects of the social and physical environment and includes research on a broad range of topics, including social support and neighborhoods. The three chapters in this dissertation investigate social support, perception of neighborhood, and neighborhood physical disorder as they relate to maternal and child health. The study population consists of women and their children who are participants in the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS) project, a study on the health effects of pesticide and allergen exposure in the Salinas Valley, an agricultural region in California. The data used in this dissertation come from primarily immigrant Latinos, an important yet understudied population. In chapter one, I assessed the association between social support during pregnancy and the odds for cesarean delivery among Medi-Cal eligible Latinas living in the Salinas Valley. Although cesarean sections can be life-saving for women and infants in some situations, the proportion of births currently delivered via cesarean is unnecessarily high. The presence of a delivery companion is associated with lower cesarean frequency, and there is some evidence for an association between social support during pregnancy and reduced cesarean frequency. I analyzed data from 511 women who participated in the CHAMACOS project to test for an association between higher social support and lower odds for cesarean delivery. I measured social support via structural (marital status, number of close friends, church attendance, and living arrangement) and functional (Duke-UNC Functional Social Support Questionnaire and perceived partner support) types of support, and controlled for body mass index, socioeconomic position, acculturation, and alcohol, cigarette, or drug use. I used multiple logistic regression models with robust standard errors to assess the relationship between social support variables and the natural log odds of cesarean delivery. I did not find statistical evidence for an association between social support and the odds for cesarean delivery, as all 95 percent confidence intervals included the null value. However, some point estimates were large enough to suggest an association might exist, albeit in the opposite direction of what I hypothesized. Although my findings did not suggest an association between social support during pregnancy and cesarean delivery, I believe future observational and intervention studies are needed to shed further light on the relationship between social support and cesarean delivery among Latinas. In chapter two, I explored maternal perception of neighborhood safety and its relationship to hours of television viewing among three-and-a-half-year-old Latino children from the CHAMACOS project. Due to its association with negative health outcomes (e.g., obesity), national guidelines support limiting children's time with entertainment media to no more than one to two hours per day. Parents who perceive their neighborhoods to be less safe may choose to keep their children entertained indoors with television, whereas parents who are less concerned about neighborhood safety may allow their children to play outdoors. I tested two hypotheses related to maternal perception of safety and children's television-viewing behavior: (1) children whose mothers perceive their current neighborhoods to be safer for outdoor play will watch less television than children of women who rate their current neighborhoods as less safe, and (2) there will be effect modification of the association in the first hypothesis by the child's sex, with the association being stronger for girls than boys. My study population consisted of 328 mother-child dyads. Television viewing was analyzed dichotomously based on national guidelines: two hours or less per day of television versus more than two hours per day. In addition to using overall daily television-viewing information, I also tested my hypotheses for weekend and weekday viewing. I assessed maternal perception of neighborhood safety for child outdoor play via a likert scale (ranging from "very safe" to "very unsafe"); I used the four-category variable in analyses when interaction was not present and a dichotomous version of the variable ("very safe" versus all other responses) when interaction was present. As in chapter one, I used multiple logistic regression models and robust standard errors to test my hypotheses. I controlled for the confounding effects of socioeconomic position; maternal body mass index, employment status, marital status, and depression; whether or not the child lives with one or more siblings; and time of year. I found that mothers who perceived their neighborhoods to be less safe were more likely to have sons who watched television more than two hours per day, both in general and on the weekends, than mothers who thought their neighborhoods were very safe. The proportion of daughters who watched television more than two hours per day on an average day or on a weekend day did not differ by maternal perception of neighborhood safety. Also, maternal perception of neighborhood safety was associated with weekday television viewing habits among children, but there was no trend and this association did not vary by sex. Finally, in chapter three I assessed whether or not neighborhoods with more symbols of physical disorder would have a higher proportion of five-year-old children spending more than two hours per day with entertainment media. As in chapter two, I explored the possibility of effect modification by sex. I analyzed data from 311 Latino children from the CHAMACOS project using a dichotomous variable for screen time: children who spent more than two hours per day watching television or videos or playing video or computer games versus children whose screen time was two hours or less per day. I used three outcome variables: overall (a weighted average of weekday and weekend) screen time, weekend screen time, and weekday screen time. To measure physical symbols of neighborhood disorder, I included objective information (via block-face observations) on cars, garbage and litter, cigarettes and cigars, graffiti, odors, the condition of residential buildings, yards and gardens, and "for rent" and "for sale" signs. I used a principal components analysis on a polychoric correlation matrix to create one summary variable from twelve original variables that categorized neighborhoods as "low", "somewhat low", "somewhat high", and "very high" with respect to physical disorder. I also used multiple logistic regression models with robust standard errors to test my hypotheses. The covariates I included in my final models were the child's sex and age, family income and home ownership, maternal body mass index, parental emotional problem, whether or not the child lives with a sibling, parent-rated child's health, the time of year of data collection, acculturation, and whether the neighborhood is urban, suburban, or rural. In the overall and weekend screen time analyses, I did not find statistical support for effect modification by sex nor did I find support for main effects. However, I did find evidence of interaction in the weekday screen time analyses; there was a main effect for girls, but not boys. For girls, the main effect appeared to be due solely to the odds ratio comparing the "somewhat high" and "very high" neighborhood disorder groups and was in the opposite direction of what I expected. I hypothesized that higher neighborhood physical disorder would be associated with more screen time, but it appears that neighborhoods with "somewhat high" physical disorder had a higher proportion of girls who spent more than two hours per weekday with entertainment media than did neighborhoods with "very high" physical disorder. As my findings appear to suggest a possible negative association for girls with respect to weekdays, and no other significant findings, I believe future research is needed to fully explore the potentially complex relationship between physical symbols of neighborhood disorder and screen time among five-year-old Latino children. This dissertation focused on two social epidemiologic research topics, social support and neighborhoods, using data from a primarily immigrant, Latina population. Although I did not find evidence to suggest that an association between social support during pregnancy and cesarean delivery exists, I believe there may be an association, perhaps only for certain subgroups of Latinas, and this needs to be further explored in future research endeavors. With respect to neighborhood, my findings from chapters two and three appear to be inconsistent, with the results from chapter two suggesting that mothers who perceived their neighborhoods to be less safe have three-and-a-half-year-old sons who watch more than two hours per day of television on average and on the weekends, and chapter three providing weak support for an association between higher neighborhood physical disorder and less weekday screen time among five-year-old girls. Thus, the nature of the association between neighborhood and screen time may be complex and vary according to the day of the week, gender, and age. Future research should be conducted to better understand these relationships, with attention paid to how children spend their indoor leisure time.

The Meaning and Cultural Context of Physical Activity as Perceived by Physically Active, Rural African American Women

The Meaning and Cultural Context of Physical Activity as Perceived by Physically Active, Rural African American Women PDF Author: Allison Lenkerd
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : African American women
Languages : en
Pages : 120

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Background - The health problems of overweight and obesity are growing concerns in the United States and in many parts of the world. At the time of this study, African American women had the highest mortality and obesity rates of any other racial/ethnic group in this country, and the highest level of physical inactivity (CDC, 2008; OMHRC, 2007). Research has suggested that despite African American women's awareness of the benefits of physical activity their rates of physical activity have remained low. A need existed to understand how physically active African American women, particularly those who resided in a rural area, perceived and experienced physical activity. Objective - The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the meaning and cultural context of physical activity among physically active, rural African American women, and to understand how they related physical activity and overweight to their health status. Methodology - To achieve this purpose, the researcher conducted 4 in-depth, open-ended focus group interviews in North Carolina. A qualitative methodology using a phenomenological approach enabled the researcher to better understand the meaning and sociocultural influences that the participants associated with physical activity participation. Analysis of verbatim transcriptions of the focus group interviews involved immersion, coding, categorizing, and identifying themes that emerged from the data. Results - Several primary themes emerged from the data from this study that revealed the participants experience of physical activity. These themes included perceptions of personal health, the evolution of physical activity, body image and overweight, social support, barriers, societal views of African American health status, and health related education. This chapter explored themes and various subthemes in order to get a more in-depth view of the participants' experience of physical activity, and definitions of physical activity and overweight as they relate to health in the minds of the participants. Conclusion - Health education programming aimed at this target population group must recognize several factors in order to provide culturally appropriate programs: the motivating factors of this population group; the association between size, overweight and health; their perception of what types of physical activities are appropriate; their support needs; the barriers that they face. In addition, it is important to provide education regarding their risks as well as information on how to get the information that they need to address these risks from their medical provider.

Perceptions of Support by Mexican American Women During Their First Pregnancy

Perceptions of Support by Mexican American Women During Their First Pregnancy PDF Author: Charlene Olivia Lund
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Mexican Americans
Languages : en
Pages : 130

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