title: Ethnic-specific perceptions of altered control among American women: implications for health promotion programs after pregnancy.
abstract: This study describes some ethnically diverse psychosocial and behavioral contexts that influence low-income postpartum women's ability to focus on their health. Content analysis was conducted on data from ethnically concordant focus groups of low-income American Anglo, African American, and Hispanic women 12 to 24 months postpartum. All women described altered sense of "perceived control" as the context contributing to their postpartum health status, but sources and management of this perception varied by ethnicity. Effective health promotion interventions may include self-image building activities, stress management strategies and interventions that include family members but should address unique ethnic-specific contexts of low-income mothers.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78701-1499, USA.
authors.forename: Bobbie
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sterling
authors.forename: Eileen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fowles
authors.forename: Sunghun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Lara
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Latimer
authors.forename: Lorraine O
authors.initials: LO
authors.lastname: Walker
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006293:Health Promotion; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D011203:Poverty / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011247:Pregnancy; D016730:Program Development; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult