Maternal Beliefs about Vitamin Efficacy in Four U.S. Subcultures

Bibliographic Data

ID7842822
AuthorsMaxene Johnston (0000-0001-9869-6357, Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, corresponding author), Merrill E Sarty (University of Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles)
Year1978
Volume9
Issue3
Pages327-338
Publication date1978-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Cross-Cultural Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-0221 • E-ISSN: 1552-5422
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/002202217893005
OpenAlexW2107883582
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited13

Widespread use of supplemental vitamins continues in the absence of clear scientific evidence of efficacy. Observations in a variety of pediatric health settings suggest that their use may be based on expectations rooted in a variety of culturally based attitudes and beliefs. Mothers of well babies in four ethnic groups answered questionnaires, indicating their expectations of vitamin efficacy. We called those expectations aligned with organized Western medicine "Scientific"; those with less apparent basis in fact were termed "Magic." Black mothers expressed more Scientific responses than EMAs and Anglos, but the effects were contributed solely by data from mothers of girls. Spanish-speaking mothers of girls expressed significantly more Magic expectations than the Anglos and the English-speaking Mexican-Americans (EMAs); the Blacks and the EMAs expressed more than the Anglos. Mothers of boys showed no interethnic differences. Results reflect a strong interaction between ethnicity and sex of child

Developmental psychology · Ethnic group · MAGIC (telescope · Sociology · Variety (cybernetics · Anthropology · Climate Change Communication and Perception · Demography · Psychology

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