Jennifer Fonseca Summer Research Opportunities Program 2005 University of Illinois at Chicago

1. An Exploratory Study of the Prevalence and Perceived Benefit of Folk Healing Practices Among Mexican-American and Puerto Rican Mothers in Chicago Jennifer Fonseca Summer Research Opportunities Program 2005 University of Illinois at Chicago

2. What is Folk Healing? • The use of culturally known herbs and remedies either self-administered or obtained through a curandero (folk healer) for curing sicknesses and illnesses

3. Literature Review Studies have shown Mexican-American and Puerto Rican women are among the highest ethnic groups with: • Health disparities • Language barriers • Lack of adequate health insurance coverage • Geographically inaccessible health care services • Differences in health care beliefs and expectations

4. Purpose • Quantify the prevalence of self-healing among the Mexican American and Puerto Rican community in an urban setting in Chicago • Build knowledge such that we may better prepare health professionals to provide service to Latino individuals

5. Hypothesis • Many Mexican-American and Puerto Rican women in Chicago use traditional self-healing treatments before visiting a health professional

6. Methods • Convenience Sample: • Volunteering subjects • Target Population: • 16 Mexican-American and Puerto Rican women • 1st and 2nd generation Mexican-American and Puerto Rican women • At least one child • Reside in urban community • Survey Tool: • 51-item questionnaire • English and Spanish • Categorical • Multiple choice • Open-ended questions

7. Assumptions • All information is accurate to represent the population studied • Questions explore concepts that are familiar to the respondent

8. Limitations • Convenience sample • Subjects are volunteers • Small sample size • Urban setting

9. Analysis • Simple-descriptive statistics • Review of open-ended questions • Organization of recurrent themes to develop new questions for future studies

10. Animo Caido Ataque Bilis Bilongo Causa Cuarentena Mal Puesto Susto Caida de la Mollera Chipil Empacho Mal de Aire Mal de Ojo Pasmo Folk Illnesses

11. Results • 5 of 14 folk illnesses recognized on survey • Cuarentena, Susto, Caida de la Mollera, Empacho, and Mal de Ojo • 14 of 16 participants recognized cuarentena • 2 of 16 participants were familiar with susto • only heard of the term

12. Results (cont’d) • Of the 16 participants, 15 stated they were familiar with caida de la mollera. • Out of 16 participants, 14 stated they were familiar with empacho • Out of 16 participants, 11 stated they were familiar with mal de ojo

13. Discussion • Not many of the folk illnesses were recognized with those found in literature • All participants were middle-class women • 14 of 16 were born in the United States • Most women were born in the U.S. • Influence of American culture

14. Implications for Future Studies • Study responses for folk illnesses and treatments of Latino mothers with lower-incomes • Study mothers born outside the U.S. • Study the mothers and grandmothers of the participants in this study

15. Acknowledgements • Dr. Cynthia Barnes-Boyd Mentor • SROP Staff