Shirley Cloutier Laffrey

Assessing Arab-American health care needs

A health needs assessment was conducted with Arab-American immigrants in northern California. Data were obtained from community forums, key informants, the U.S. Census, and from a survey of 47 Arab immigrants. In the community forums, parenting difficulties, marital conflicts, and health risks were identified. Key informants (clergy, community leaders, health professionals) identified mental health problems related to child rearing, referrals for appropriate services, education to assist Arab women interface with the health and education systems, and translation and cultural interpretation for Arab patients and health care providers. Arab patients requesting health care identified referrals for appropriate care, advocacy, education about the medical regimen, and technical assistance obtaining care. Social indicators indicated potential needs for health services for those of lower income. A survey of 47 Arab-Americans indicated that predominant illnesses experienced in the past year were upper respiratory infections, cardiovascular and hypertension, diabetes, and family and social stress. Health-related problems reported most frequently were family stress, adjusting to the U.S., managing acute illness, coping with adolescents, and marital stress. For the most part, this group was satisfied with medical care received and stated that their most important health services were health education, availability of Arab speaking health providers, and referrals for appropriate treatment.

Stress, satisfaction, and coping: A study of women clerical workers

Increasing numbers of women in the work force have prompted researchers to study the health impact of their work satisfactions and stressors. In this study, we examined the quality of the work role as perceived by women who hold clerical jobs. Qualitative data were collected through structured interviews with 87 female clerical workers employed in four organizational settings. All were mothers with one or more children living at home. Work satisfaction, work stressors, coping strategies, and resources were discussed in the interviews. Categories were developed for each of these areas. The Ethnograph computer program was used after content analysis to code and retrieve the responses for each category.

Cross-cultural study of beliefs about smoking among teenaged females

This study was designed to identify beliefs associated with smoking behavior in three different ethnic groups of teenaged females. The Neuman Systems Model provided the conceptual framework, and the Theory of Planned Behavior provided the basis for the development of the research instrument. Participants included 141 African American, 146 Puerto Rican, and 143 non-Hispanic White females, ages 13 to 19. Logistic regression analyses identified beliefs that were significantly related to smoking behavior in each ethnic group. Beliefs related to attitudes about smoking and perceived social pressure regarding smoking differed among the three ethnic groups. The findings suggest that specific beliefs distinguish between smokers and nonsmokers and that some beliefs differ by ethnicity.

Health and health behavior of persons with chronic cardiovascular disease

Health conceptions, perceived health status and health behaviors were compared for 58 adults; 29 with cardiovascular disease and 29 who were healthy. Data were collected by interview. Results indicated similarities in health conceptions and behaviors for the two groups. The cardiovascular patients perceived themselves less healthy overall but when health status was subdivided into dimensions, they perceived themselves less healthy on the clinical dimension only. They were equally healthy on the functional, adaptive, and eudaimonistic (self-actualization) dimensions. These findings underscore the necessity of viewing health within a broader context when providing health care to individuals with chronic disease.