Applications of and Barriers to Holistic Self-Care in a Low-Income, High-Risk Obstetric Population.

Objective: We examined 1) women's perceptions regarding self-care, 2) applications of self-care, and 3) barriers to practicing effective self-care.

Methods: Four focus groups were conducted in a low-income, pregnant population. Focus group recruitment and discussions took place at a large medical center in a medically underserved area of central Georgia.

Semantic Assessment of the Barkin Index of Maternal Functioning in a Medically Underserved Obstetric Population.

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the fitness of the Barkin Index of Maternal Functioning (BIMF) for postpartum functional assessment in a low-income obstetric population in medically underserved, Central Georgia (USA).

Design And Methods: Cognitive interviewing, a best practices approach to instrument development and validation, was performed on 24 new mothers.

Findings: The BIMF was comprehensible to this population of disadvantaged women.

Barriers to optimal social support in the postpartum period.

Objective: To examine the specific barriers to mothers' realization of social support during the first-year postpartum.

Design: A qualitative approach in which social support data were analyzed thematically.

Setting: An urban medical center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.