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Health beliefs of rural Canadians: Implications for practice
Author(s) -
Thomlinson Elizabeth,
McDonagh Meg Kathleen,
Crooks Kathryn Baird,
Lees Margaret
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
australian journal of rural health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.48
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1440-1584
pISSN - 1038-5282
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1854.2004.00627.x
Subject(s) - mental health , perspective (graphical) , health care , psychology , focus group , nursing , rural area , health professionals , medicine , gerontology , sociology , psychiatry , political science , pathology , artificial intelligence , computer science , anthropology , law
Objective: The objective of the present study was to examine the health beliefs, values and practices of rural residents living in two geographically diverse regions of western Canada.Design: An ethnographic study with semistructured interviews of 55 persons was conducted with participants ranging in age from 19 to 84 years.Results: Being healthy was described as having balance in one's life, taking into consideration the relationship between the physical, mental, social, and spiritual aspects of the person. Health‐seeking behaviours spanned the gamut of diet, exercise, sleep, home remedies, a belief in a spiritual being, to consulting health professionals. Resources that participants valued included professionals who listened, friends, neighbours, church, music, elders, ambulance service and the internet.Conclusions: It is important that professionals view the person beyond the disease and take into account more than the physical manifestations of an illness. A key component is the demonstration of respect for all persons regardless of age. It is essential that health professionals develop websites providing accurate health‐care information. Participants noted the need to recruit and retain professionals in rural regions.What this paper adds: Canadian rural research, to date, has largely focused on the recruitment of rural health‐care providers. Nurse researchers from Montana discovered that rural dwellers have a tendency to define health from a role performance perspective that meant being able to work and meet family obligations; in contrast to urban dwellers, who tend to focus upon the comfort, cosmetic and life prolonging aspects of health. Because of the paucity of Canadian published literature on this topic, the health benefits, values and practices of rural Canadians are entirely speculative.Data analysis revealed several themes with implications relevant to health‐care professionals. Being healthy was described as involving the physical, mental, social and spiritual aspects of a person. Health‐seeking behaviours engaged in included diet, exercise, sleep, home remedies, spiritual beliefs and consulting health professionals. Accessing accurate health information was identified as a significant resource. The development of websites by health‐care professionals to facilitate the acquisition of information that are understandable and pertinent was seen as one way of meeting this need. Those health professionals who truly listen to their patients and view them as whole persons rather than disease entities are highly valued. Health professionals need to be retained once recruited if trusting relationships are to be developed and maintained. To maintain these relationships over the long term, resources that support the elderly and infirm must be secured and further developed, such as day programs, respite care for family members and palliative care services.