Guatemalans’ Practices for Health Promotion and the Meaning of Respect Afforded them by Health Care Providers

Abstract

This descriptive study, the second part of a multinational study of Central Americans and Mexicans, describes Guatemalans’ practices for health promotion and wellness, disease and illness prevention, and the meaning of respect afforded them by health care providers. Understanding a person’s beliefs and values when planning nursing and health care interventions helps the caregiver provide culturally acceptable care that improves clients’ satisfaction and health status. Culturally respectful, acceptable, and appropriate care conserves the utilization of human, material, and financial resources. There were 25 participants in this sample. This study uses selected primary and secondary characteristics of culture and selected domains from the Purnell model for cultural competence as guides for questionnaire development, review of the literature, data analysis, and discussion of the findings.