Scheduled for Research Coordinating Board Poster Session II, Friday, April 28, 2006, 10:45 AM - 12:15 PM, Convention Center: Exhibit Hall Poster Area II


General Health Beliefs, Personal Health Perceptions, and Spiritual Well-Being of People Living in a Colonia in Mexico

Elliott R. Pauli, BioNeriex, Durham, NC and Linda Synovitz, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, LA

The research design consisted of a quasi-experimental survey study utilizing a convenience sample of 60 participants living in a colonia called Liberty which is on the border of Mexico and the United States. The purposes of the study were to determine if personal health perceptions and general health beliefs vary among selected demographics and to determine if there were significant relationships between spiritual well-being, personal health perceptions, general health beliefs, and selected demographic factors. The instrument contained four sections: demographics, four items assessing personal health perceptions, a spiritual well-being scale composed of two subscales, and the general health rating index composed of five subscales. SPSS program was used to complete the data analysis. This included descriptive analyses, basic frequency counts, Pearson r Correlation (r), and Stepwise Multiple Regression (MR). The level of statistical significance was set at p<.05. The data resulted in several significant findings. Individuals who had a personal physician, in comparison to those individuals that did not, felt safer in the community. Church attendance was positively correlated to the perception that the environment was healthy. Having a doctor, versus not having a doctor, was significantly different on one GHRI subscale, current health. Health outlook was positively correlated to church attendance and to the number of individuals living in the home. Health worry/concern was positively correlated with age and inversely correlated with income. Belief that the environment was healthy was inversely correlated to spiritual well-being, existential well-being, and religious well-being. The higher participants scored on spiritual well-being, the higher their general health beliefs. Results of a stepwise MR revealed that general health beliefs, church attendance, and a personal health perception, the belief the environment is healthy, accounted for 51.7% of the variance of spiritual well-being. Spiritual well-being, the belief I am a healthy person, the belief the environment is healthy, and marital status accounted for 58.8% of the predictability of general health beliefs. Even though the environment of a colonia is extremely challenging, it is possible the perception of a higher sense of spiritual well-being aids in balancing the residents' perception of their health. Therefore, this research adds to the body of knowledge describing the relationships among selected demographics, personal health perceptions, general health beliefs, and spiritual well-being of individuals living in the colonia of Liberty.

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