title: Relationships of contextual and relational factors to health empowerment in women.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships of contextual and relational factors to health empowerment in women with children. This study used a descriptive, correlational design to answer the basic research question: "What contextual and relational factors explain health empowerment in women?" The theoretical framework of health empowerment was based upon a synthesis of social and developmental perspectives and guided by a Rogerian view of the person-environment process. The analytic approach included bivariate correlations and a series of multiple regressions to identify factors explaining health empowerment. The contextual (demographic) and relational (social and professional support) factors explained 38% of the variance in health empowerment measured as knowing participation in change. For health empowerment, measured as lifestyle behaviors, the contextual and relational factors explained 43% of the variance. The results of this study offer partial empirical support for theoretical relationships. Findings provide a basis to generate additional nursing research focusing on the continuous mutual process of human beings and the environment, leading to theory-based interventions.
authors.affiliation: Arizona State University, Tempe, College of Nursing, 85287-2602, USA. Nelma.shearer@asu.edu
authors.forename: Nelma B Crawford
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Shearer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011209:Power, Psychological; D011582:Psychological Theory; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D015206:Southwestern United States; D014930:Women / Q000523:psychology*