Beliefs, values, and practices of Navajo childbearing women

The purpose of this exploratory-descriptive study is to describe the beliefs, values, and practices regarding the childbearing experience as perceived by a sample of Navajo childbearing women. The methodology is a replication of that used in previous studies by the researchers and colleagues who investigated the childbearing experience as perceived by childbearing women of five other cultures. A Navajo nurse interviewed 20 pregnant Navajo women between 16 and 38 years of age who reside on the Navajo reservation. The 35 items with which at least 12 subjects agreed are reported. The great diversity in beliefs, values, and practices reported by this sample of Navajo childbearing women is consistent with findings of the five previous studies. The results reemphasize the need for individualized culture-specific assessment of each Navajo childbearing client to provide health care that is truly sensitive to her cultural needs.