How do mothers with young children perceive endocrine-disrupting chemicals?: an exploratory qualitative study
Purpose Despite the health impacts of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) beginning in the early stages of life, there is little research on the perception of EDCs among Korean mothers, who are primarily responsible for protecting children. This study aimed to explore how mothers with young childr...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Korean Society of Women Health Nursing
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Korean Journal of Women Health Nursing |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.e-whn.org/upload/pdf/kjwhn-2023-11-28.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797307024976904192 |
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| author | SoMi Park ChaeWeon Chung |
| author_facet | SoMi Park ChaeWeon Chung |
| author_sort | SoMi Park |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Purpose Despite the health impacts of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) beginning in the early stages of life, there is little research on the perception of EDCs among Korean mothers, who are primarily responsible for protecting children. This study aimed to explore how mothers with young children perceived EDCs for their concerns, the issues they faced, and the way they dealt with them. Methods An exploratory qualitative design was utilized. Twelve mothers who were recruited from snowball sampling participated in voluntary interviews. Individual in-depth interviews lasting approximately 47 to 60 minutes were recorded and transcribed verbatim. The data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis as suggested by Graneheim and Lundman. Results Four categories, 10 subcategories, and 25 condensed meaning units were identified by interpreting mothers’ underlying meanings. The four categories were ‘Knowledgeable yet contrasting ideas regarding EDCs,’ ‘Negative health impact, but more so for children,’ ‘Inaction or trying to minimize exposure,’ and ‘Need for early, reliable resources and social change.’ Mothers were knowledgeable regarding EDCs and actively needed further education and support. While they tended to focus more on the health impact of EDCs on their children and were optimistic about their health risks, paying less attention to their preventive behaviors. Conclusion Healthcare professionals must consider mothers’ perceptions of EDCs in future education and interventions ensuring EDCs impact on women’s life stages such as puberty, pregnancy, and childrearing. Also preventive strategies that can be applied to their daily lives are needed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T00:51:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ca389a5b676140aa9ce90bd4dffaaa43 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2287-1640 2093-7695 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T00:51:22Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Korean Society of Women Health Nursing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Korean Journal of Women Health Nursing |
| spelling | doaj.art-ca389a5b676140aa9ce90bd4dffaaa432024-02-15T04:45:19ZengKorean Society of Women Health NursingKorean Journal of Women Health Nursing2287-16402093-76952023-12-0129433734710.4069/kjwhn.2023.11.281017How do mothers with young children perceive endocrine-disrupting chemicals?: an exploratory qualitative studySoMi Park0ChaeWeon Chung1 Wonju College of Nursing, Yonsei University, Wonju, Korea College of Nursing, Research Institute of Nursing Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, KoreaPurpose Despite the health impacts of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) beginning in the early stages of life, there is little research on the perception of EDCs among Korean mothers, who are primarily responsible for protecting children. This study aimed to explore how mothers with young children perceived EDCs for their concerns, the issues they faced, and the way they dealt with them. Methods An exploratory qualitative design was utilized. Twelve mothers who were recruited from snowball sampling participated in voluntary interviews. Individual in-depth interviews lasting approximately 47 to 60 minutes were recorded and transcribed verbatim. The data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis as suggested by Graneheim and Lundman. Results Four categories, 10 subcategories, and 25 condensed meaning units were identified by interpreting mothers’ underlying meanings. The four categories were ‘Knowledgeable yet contrasting ideas regarding EDCs,’ ‘Negative health impact, but more so for children,’ ‘Inaction or trying to minimize exposure,’ and ‘Need for early, reliable resources and social change.’ Mothers were knowledgeable regarding EDCs and actively needed further education and support. While they tended to focus more on the health impact of EDCs on their children and were optimistic about their health risks, paying less attention to their preventive behaviors. Conclusion Healthcare professionals must consider mothers’ perceptions of EDCs in future education and interventions ensuring EDCs impact on women’s life stages such as puberty, pregnancy, and childrearing. Also preventive strategies that can be applied to their daily lives are needed.http://www.e-whn.org/upload/pdf/kjwhn-2023-11-28.pdfendocrine disruptorsmothersperceptionqualitative research |
| spellingShingle | SoMi Park ChaeWeon Chung How do mothers with young children perceive endocrine-disrupting chemicals?: an exploratory qualitative study Korean Journal of Women Health Nursing endocrine disruptors mothers perception qualitative research |
| title | How do mothers with young children perceive endocrine-disrupting chemicals?: an exploratory qualitative study |
| title_full | How do mothers with young children perceive endocrine-disrupting chemicals?: an exploratory qualitative study |
| title_fullStr | How do mothers with young children perceive endocrine-disrupting chemicals?: an exploratory qualitative study |
| title_full_unstemmed | How do mothers with young children perceive endocrine-disrupting chemicals?: an exploratory qualitative study |
| title_short | How do mothers with young children perceive endocrine-disrupting chemicals?: an exploratory qualitative study |
| title_sort | how do mothers with young children perceive endocrine disrupting chemicals an exploratory qualitative study |
| topic | endocrine disruptors mothers perception qualitative research |
| url | http://www.e-whn.org/upload/pdf/kjwhn-2023-11-28.pdf |
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