Mikhail B I
California State University, Bakersfield.
West J Nurs Res. 1994 Dec;16(6):623-38. doi: 10.1177/019394599401600603.
The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the Hispanic mothers' initial sources of advice and help with children's illnesses; beliefs about the etiology and seriousness of certain children's illnesses, namely, fever, cough, diarrhea, vomiting, conjunctivitis, skin rash, minor wounds, and burns; practices for the management of these children's health problems, including the use of home remedies, if any. Interviews were conducted with 100 women of Hispanic origin who had at least one child age 5 years or less and who were attending a community clinic in a rural area of central California. Mothers' beliefs about problem etiologies varied widely and revealed several misconceptions, folk beliefs, and lack of knowledge. The findings also revealed that only 32% of the mothers used or would use health professionals as the initial source of advice or help with children's problems. The majority of the subjects (81%) admitted to using home remedies to manage children's problems; 17% sought the help of a folk healer (mainly for the treatment of empacho). The various types of home remedies used by mothers were described and included the ingestion or application of certain foods, fluids, herbal teas, or other materials as well as methods to eliminate the perceived causes of the problems. It is important to note that 11% of the mothers had used azarcon or greta (substances containing lead) for treating empacho and other stomach problems in children. The need for culturally responsive and sensitive health care is discussed.
本研究的目的是确定并描述西班牙裔母亲在孩子生病时最初寻求建议和帮助的来源；她们对某些儿童疾病（即发烧、咳嗽、腹泻、呕吐、结膜炎、皮疹、轻伤和烧伤）的病因及严重性的看法；处理这些儿童健康问题的做法，包括是否使用家庭疗法。研究人员对100名西班牙裔女性进行了访谈，这些女性至少有一个5岁及以下的孩子，且都在加利福尼亚州中部农村地区的一家社区诊所就诊。母亲们对问题病因的看法差异很大，暴露出一些误解、民间信仰和知识欠缺。研究结果还显示，只有32%的母亲会将或会把健康专业人员作为孩子问题最初的建议或帮助来源。大多数受访者（81%）承认使用家庭疗法来处理孩子的问题；17%的人寻求民间治疗师的帮助（主要是治疗小儿积食）。文中描述了母亲们使用的各种家庭疗法，包括摄入或涂抹某些食物、液体、草药茶或其他物质，以及消除问题成因的方法。需要注意的是，11%的母亲曾使用阿扎尔康或格雷塔（含铅物质）治疗孩子的小儿积食和其他胃部问题。文中还讨论了提供具有文化响应性和敏感性的医疗保健的必要性。
