Self-care behaviors in older adults: a qualitative study in a Mexican population

Abstract

Background: Older adults perform self-care activities based on common knowledge, which should be valued by the nursing team. Objectives: To describe and analyze the self-care behav-iors of older adults in a Mexican population. Methodology: Qualitative ethnographic study, using Leininger’s qualitative research method. Results: Seventeen older adults were interviewed. The analysis resulted in 4 explanatory patterns: 1) I keep my peace of mind through what I think, feel, and believe; 2) I watch my diet and pay attention not only to what I eat but also how I eat it; 3) Staying busy is what keeps me going; 4) and Seeking help and helping myself. The following risk behaviors were identified: Postponing medical care; Self-medication; and Food-related beliefs. Conclusion: Identifying older adults’ reported behav-iors would contribute to the planning of culturally-sen-sitive nursing interventions.