The Lived Experiences of Mexican Heritage Mothers Caring for Overweight Preschool Children

Mexican heritage children are at greater risk to become overweight or obese than children of other ethnic or racial groups. The objective of this study was to gain insight into the lived experiences of Mexican-heritage mothers caring for overweight or obese preschool children. A qualitative, hermeneutic phenomenological design was selected for this study. Saturation was achieved with 12 mothers of Mexican heritage. Data collection and analysis was guided by the phenomenological approach of Max van Manen. Six themes and sixteen subthemes emerged from the data. Maternal caring practices were influenced by their Mexican heritage, emotional burdens, perceptions of child\u27s weight status, disconnectedness and connectedness with family and health care professionals, being resourceful, and the linking of past family history and practices with present needs in order to protect children from untoward consequences of overweight

The Lived Experiences of Mexican-Heritage Mothers Caring for Overweight Preschool Children

Mexican-heritage children are at greater risk to become overweight or obese than children of other ethnic or racial groups. Despite this, there is limited information in the literature about how the mothers care for their preschoolers after they are classified as overweight or obese. The objective of this study was to gain insight into the lived experiences of Mexican-heritage mothers caring for overweight or obese preschool children to enhance nurses’ ability to effectively care for these children. A qualitative, hermeneutic design was selected for this study guided by the phenomenological approach of Max van Manen. Saturation was achieved after interviewing 12 mothers of Mexican heritage. Seven themes and 11 subthemes emerged from the data. Maternal caring practices were influenced by their Mexican heritage, emotional burdens, and perceptions of child’s weight status, disconnectedness and connectedness with family and health care professionals, and being resourceful. To protect their children from the untoward consequences of overweight, the mothers linked past family history and practices with present needs. Cultural influences, social support, past experiences, available resources, and emotional status all play integral roles in a mother’s ability to partner with nurses in developing a holistic effective plan to care for overweight children. Keywords: Mexican-Heritage Mothers, Caring, Lived Experience, Preschool, Obesity, Phenomenology, van Mane

Learning About Crime: Conceptions of Crime and Law Enforcement as They Relate to Use of Television and Other Information Sources

From the introduction: The possibility that television might influence our view of the world--that is, may teach values, expectations, and even norms of behavior-- has inspired a variety of attempts to identify and measure the consequences of exposure. TV\u27s programming emphasis in recent years on the dramatization of crime control (a subject already salient in the real world) makes crime and law enforcement an especially important area in which to look for potential effects of television. At the same time, the fact that other relevant information sources may be capable of generating the same biases and misconceptions, renders inconclusive any simple statistical link between particular responses and exposure to television