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Abstract

The aim of this qualitative study was to explore and explain the meanings and practices of health among Thai immigrant women in Sweden with Swedish husbands. In agreement with Leininger’s theory of cultural care, data were collected through observation-participation and ethnographic interviews with 10 key informants and 16 general informants living in Uppsala. The principal meanings of health of the Thai immigrant women were abstracted from the raw data using structural analysis. They were found to be (a) state of well-being, (b) absence of illness, (c) ability to perform daily role activities, and (d) adaptation to their new life situation. The principal factors for the promotion of health among these women were (a) mental support from family, (b) nutrition, (c) physical exercise, (d) no smoking, and (e) modest drinking. Knowledge among health care professionals of meanings and practices of health, such as those found here, is vital for the provision of culturally congruent care in a multicultural society such as Sweden.

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Meanings and Practices of Health among Married Thai Immigrant Women in Sweden

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