Exploring Folk Health Practices in Latinos With Chronic Medical Conditions

Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM)

Status: Completed

Conditions: Hypertension; Asthma; Diabetes; Stroke; Arthritis; Heart Disease

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT00224237

0505007876

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study will explore how culture influences the use of folk healing practices and medical services in Latinos with chronic medical conditions.

Full description

Sociocultural aspects of using ethnomedical health practices in a community-based Latino population will be described using both qualitative and quantitative survey methods. This study will rely heavily on its descriptive section, which will use in-depth, open-ended questions in a semi-structured personal interview format following qualitative research principles. It will also use closed-ended questions in a short survey format to begin to explore some variables that may be associated with using traditional healing practices. These variables include level of acculturation, degree of family social support, degree of adherence to standard medical regimens, perceived health status, presence of depressive symptoms, and severity of co-illnesses. These variables will be examined using common, validated scales.

Enrollment: 54 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 100 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Participants will be self-identified, adult men and women from the community setting. The sample comprise a convenience sample, including persons of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican, Central American, South American, or other Spanish speaking culture.

1. Latino men and women over the age of 18
2. Those self-identifying as having at least one chronic medical condition including:diabetes, hypertension, asthma, history of heart disease or stroke or musculoskeletal disease (arthritis).
3. Those reporting use of complementary or alternative therapies, including ethnomedical healing practices or practitioners.
4. Those who speak English or Spanish.

Exclusion criteria

Individuals who refuse to participate.

Trial design

54 participants in 1 patient group

A

Description:

Participants will be self-identified, adult Latino men and women from the community setting. The sample will comprise of a convenience sample from community-based organizations, including persons of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican, Central American, South American, or other Spanish-speaking culture.