Problem. Social support is an important concept toward the facilitation of health behavior change. In a study to examine the effectiveness of social support among ethnically diverse, low income clients, the presence of “health buddies” was chosen as one of the operational definitions of social support. This paper presents findings regarding the role of “health buddies” in supporting and sustaining health behavior change according to participants in a focus group conducted 6 weeks after the completion of the structured intervention. Framework.The Health Belief Model in concert with Lundeen’s Nursing Center Model guided this study. Subjects. All subjects from the study were invited six weeks after the structured intervention’s conclusion. An extension of the original IRB approval was granted at one nursing center site for the focus group. Method. A focus group was conducted using a semi-structured interview format. The interview questions were based on an extensive review of the literature on the role of social support in achieving and sustaining health behavior change. Results. The participants actively shared their impressions of the intervention and their perceptions of a “health buddy”. Major themes focused on the importance of others being there for you; being there for each other; and recognizing that they were not alone in their unhealthy behaviors. Conclusion. One challenge of working with clients of diverse ethnicities and those in poverty is to translate the concepts of health behavior change to meaningful life experiences. These participants presented characteristics of the culture of poverty that include aloneness, lack of recognition of one’s value, and a need for feeling accountable to or for someone. Nurses can use “health buddies” as a significant positive impact for health behavior change in ethnically-diverse, low income patients.
Funding: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Session #1122 - Midwest Nursing Centers Consortium Research Network: A Novel Approach to Physical Activity and Nutrition Interventions across Nursing Centers
The 29th Annual MNRS Research Conference (April 1-4, 2005)