African-American grandmothers as health educators in the family

Int J Aging Hum Dev. 2005;60(4):343-56. doi: 10.2190/WPM7-Q6TH-CUAC-77DR.

Abstract

More than 18,000 adolescents die each year in the United States from bicycle, motorcycle, car, and truck accidents. This study sought to understand the role of African-American grandmothers as prevention-oriented health educators in the family. Full Model Fitted Regression Analyses were conducted on a sample of African-American grandmothers (N = 105) with 10- to 19-year-old grandchildren. Findings suggest that grandmothers who adopt a proactive, teaching role with their grandchildren are more committed to doing so, confident about doing so, and in a context to do so. In particular, grandmothers who co-reside with their grandchildren are more likely to teach them about how to prevent transportation accidents than those who do not co-reside. These findings could contribute to innovations in existing grandparent education curricula.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Black or African American*
  • Child
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • District of Columbia
  • Female
  • Health Promotion*
  • Humans
  • Intergenerational Relations*
  • Middle Aged
  • Parenting*
  • Regression Analysis