Influence of self-care education on illness behaviors and health locus of control of Mexican American women.

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of self-care education on illness behaviors and health locus of control of Mexican American women. Participants were randomly assigned to a control (n = 60) or experimental group (n = 60). Subjects completed the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control questionnaire and an Illness Behavior Assessment at pretest and 6-months. The experimental group received a self-care manual and participated in two 2-hour seminars on how to effectively use the textbook. The experimental group demonstrated a significant increase in self-care behaviors, and significant changes in Internal Health Locus of Control and Powerful Others Health Locus of Control. Chance Health Locus of Control was found to have a low, direct correlation with age, and a low, indirect correlation with education. The conclusion of this investigation is that self-care education can positively influence illness behaviors and Health Locus of Control in Mexican American women.

Attitudinal changes toward exercise in mexican american women.

BACKGROUND: This experimental study was designed to examine the attitude changes and exercise adherence of a group of sedentary minority women. METHOD: Fifty sedentary Mexican American women participated in a 9-month, biweekly education and exercise program that was preceded by a 6-month program initiation composed of weekly interactions to facilitate trust between participants and researchers. RESULTS: Compared to Mexican American and Caucasian control groups, the experimental participants displayed significant changes in scores on the Exercise Benefits and Barriers Scales (EBBS) at three, six, and nine months. Adherence to the physical activity program was 84%. At pre-test, the Mexican American participants and controls displayed significantly lower EBBS scores than the Caucasian controls. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study are examined in light of existing reports on the facilitation of attitudes toward exercise, exercise adherence and health promotion particularly in regard to understanding the barriers to physical activity for minorities. The findings of this study are particularly important given the paucity of research about health promotion for individuals who belong to minority groups.