What Cultural Care Practices Mean to Pregnant Teenagers in Barranquilla (Colombia)

Abstract

Objective: Describe what cultural care practices mean for a group of pregnant teenagers receiving prenatal care at the Hospital Niño Jesús in Barranquilla (Colombia) and for their unborn children. Method: This is a qualitative ethnographic study in which the concept proposed by Leininger was applied. The participants included 10 pregnant teenagers between 15 and 19 years of age, and 12 nurses with experience in the area. The teenagers took part as key informants and the nurses, as general informants. Results: The meaning of cultural care practices for pregnant teenagers is classified according to three themes: 1) care practices handed down from generation to generation, predominantly through the female line; 2) trust in God and support from the family as a type of care; 3) giving birth to a healthy child. Conclusions: The care practices of pregnant teenagers are rooted in their beliefs, myths and the cultural values handed down from one generation to the next, all of which reveal cultural care patterns. Nursing should identify this aspect in an effort to provide care that is culturally congruent with this population.