University of Massachusetts Medical School Faculty Publications
Title
Working hard: women's self-care practices in Ghana
UMMS Affiliation
Graduate School of Nursing
Publication Date
2013-03-28
Document Type
Article
Subjects
Cultural Characteristics; Female; Focus Groups; Ghana; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Infant Mortality; Infant, Newborn; Interviews as Topic; Life Style; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Outcome; Prenatal Care; Self Care; Social Environment; Urban Population
Disciplines
International Public Health | Maternal and Child Health | Public Health | Women's Health
Abstract
Women's health care providers have noted an increased infant mortality rate among Ghanaian immigrants. We conducted focus groups with 17 women in Ghana. We asked them how they maintained their health both before and during pregnancy. When discussing their health, women repeatedly described the conditions or context of their daily lives and the traditional practices that they used to stay healthy. Knowledge of women's lives, the health care system that they previously used, and their cultural practices can be utilized by health care providers to more fully assess their patients and design more culturally appropriate care for this group of women.
DOI of Published Version
10.1080/07399332.2012.736574
Source
Health Care Women Int. 2013;34(8):651-73. doi: 10.1080/07399332.2012.736574. Epub 2013 Mar 28. Link to article on publisher's site
Related Resources
Journal/Book/Conference Title
Health care for women international
PubMed ID
23537401
Repository Citation
Theroux, Rosemary Dr.; Klar, Robin Toft; and Messenger, Linda, "Working hard: women's self-care practices in Ghana" (2013). University of Massachusetts Medical School Faculty Publications. 727.
https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/faculty_pubs/727