Predicting Health Preventive and Health Protective Behaviors Among Mexicano/Chicanos (Agricultural, Mexican-American, Social Support, Public Health).

American medicine has made available many resources for treating acute and chronic illness. Yet, many poor and ethnic group members, often die of preventable diseases. The purpose of this research is to identify the correlates of medical and self care health behaviors as a first step toward underst and ing how to prevent health problems in a Mexicano/Chicano population. In bilingual face to face interviews thirty male and seventy-five female Mexicano/Chicano volunteer/clients from health and community service agencies responded to structured and open ended questions about their performance of and attitudes toward Health Protective behaviors such as eating sensibly, getting enough sleep, monitoring weight and exercising and Preventive behaviors such as seeing a doctor or a dentist for regular check-ups. Socio-psychological and demographic variables, some selected from the Health Belief Model, were used as potential predictors. These include health status and satisfaction, orientation (beliefs in prompt treatment, the necessity of tests, and in tests as effective) and health locus of control, quality of social support, perceptions of helpfulness of the provider and health risk, health worry, and attitude toward effectiveness of health preventive and protective behaviors. The sample reported moderate numbers of health Protective and Preventive behaviors. Regression analyses show that performance of Protective behaviors is associated with social support, health satisfaction, and concern. Preventive behaviors are associated only with health concern. Preventive behaviors are associated only with health concern. The relationships between health satisfaction, quality of social support and self care behaviors and the relationship between concern about health and preventive (medical/dental) behaviors was positive. However, there was an inverse relationship between concern about health and self care behaviors. The result of this study raises questions about the applicability of Health Belief Model for Mexicano/Chicanos. Building on the findings of this study a revised predictive model is proposed for future research. This model includes the above as well as some socialization, cohort, and age related variables.Ph.D.Social psychologyUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/160494/1/8512380.pd