Self-care activities of low-income women in midlife

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to uncover the self-care activities that low-income women carry out to maintain functioning and for development at midlife in their particular environmental contexts. Knowledge of low-income women's self-care activities in midlife is critical for the development of health promotion strategies that are acceptable and relevant to low-income women in the context of their daily lives. A qualitative ethnographic approach informed by feminist principles was used to uncover the self-care activities of low-income women in midlife. The study was guided by Orem's Model of Self-Care and Bronfenbrenner's Ecology of Human Development Framework. Data were collected through the use of in-depth semi-structured interviews. Analysis was conducted using content analysis methods. The analysis revealed five major categories: (1) poverty: a consequence of circumstance rather than a way of life; (2) working towards a better future; (3) self-care: survival strategies; (4) midlife, a stage? Not really,just the continuity of life; and (5) it's connections I need. The self-care activities were found to be deeply embedded within the context of their daily lives. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)