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Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to apply Watson's Caring Theory to the care of Hispanic families.
Learning Objective 2: The learner will verbalize two ways in which Hispanic culture influenced the family's perception of obesity.
Early establishment of trust between the mother, child, and healthcare provider was identified as an important aspect in management of the child's condition. The mother spoke positively of the relationship she has developed with the provider and office staff over the course of her child's treatment stating, “They are really nice...They already know who he is. It's not like a stranger, that's what I really like. We come here and they are like: "Oh, [name of child] is here." The researcher's greatest interest was in cultural influences surrounding feeding practices. The mother revealed the influence of culture when she stated, “It's different here. In Mexico they don't really care how much you weigh, they just feed them.” In regard to teaching and learning, the provider coordinated and provided teaching in a way that was easy to understand. The mother explained, “To like, um, check his weight and stuff they would take out this chart that like tells, um, his age, and his weight, and how much he is supposed to weigh, and he was like really far away from that.”
These results can be used as clinical guidelines for nurses who manage the care of Hispanic families who are coping with chronic childhood illness. Furthermore, these findings indicate a need for future research regarding obesity and cultural influences in minority populations, especially Hispanics.