THE IMPACT OF THE WELLNESS GUIDE GUIA ON HISPANIC WOMENS WELL-BEING-RELATED KNOWLEDGE, EFFICACY BELIEFS, AND BEHAVIORS - THE MEDIATING ROLEOF ACCULTURATION/

This study examined how acculturation mediated the impact of the Calif ornia Wellness Guide/La Guia del Bienestar on Hispanic women's knowled ge, efficacy beliefs, and behaviors. Knowledge gaps were found between acculturated and less acculturated women, Acculturated mothers had mo re confidence in their abilities to acquire wellness-related informati on both before and after Guide/Guia distribution and also had more ass istance-seeking efficacy. Guide/Guia recipients were more knowledgeabl e, had greater confidence in their knowledge and their abilities to ac quire information, and possessed better information acquisition strate gies than nonrecipients. The publication also enhanced low-acculturate d recipients' assistance-seeking self-efficacy. High-acculturated and low-acculturated recipients of the Guide/Guia were equally likely to h ave retained and used their copies, to anticipate using the publicatio n in the future, and to have made a change in behavior as a result of the guide. Finally, the Guide/Guia did not increase the knowledge gap between high- and low-acculturated guide recipients.