Views of low-income, African American mothers about child health

Focus groups were conducted with low-income, single-head-of-household mothe rs to elicit their views regarding child health issues. Mothers were asked what causes 5- to 10-year-old children to get ill, what helps them stay wel l and healthy, and how children learn health behaviors. They were also aske d how their community facilitated or hindered child health, who were good s ources of health information and what were the advantages of having healthy children. Major themes emerging from the data include a perception that co mmunal childrearing is ideal and that many causes of child health problems are external and require external solutions.