Abstract
Objectives
Traditional postpartum care practices in East Asia have been recognized as non-functional by some government public health agencies. This study examined the perception of traditional postpartum care practice among families of Korean descent in the United States. In addition to pragmatic health care issues, the research was designed to contribute to cross-cultural understanding of hot–cold theory of reproductive behavior.
Methods
A descriptive survey study and follow-up interviews were conducted among women of Korean descent living in the United States (n = 141). A questionnaire was used to explore the variation in women’s beliefs about traditional postpartum care and the extent to which they or their relatives practiced this care. In the follow-up interview, the participants freely described the different ways of postpartum care practice.
Results
Compared to women from other Asian and immigrant populations, women of Korean descent maintained similar or higher rates of believing the functionality of temperature maintenance care practice, and believed that the associated forms of traditional care will continue in the future.
Conclusions for Practice
Traditional postpartum care practices are broadly shared and practiced in Asian immigrant populations, even in highly industrialized and modernized settings. Furthermore, from their own experience of somatic pain and its functionality, women called for better implementation of traditional care as an alternative or supplement to modern medical care. Health-care systems need to improve understanding and accommodation of cultural beliefs about possible benefits of temperature maintenance after childbirth in Asian ethnic populations.
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Data Availability
The dataset supporting the results of this study is available upon request.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Cathryn Townsend for contribution to this study. We also appreciate our study participants who helped this research possible.
Funding
This work was supported by the H. Clyde Wilson Opportunities for Excellence in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Missouri.
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SW and MF developed the study design, SW conducted the survey and interviews, SW and MF conducted the data analysis, and wrote the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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The study was approved by the MU Institutional Review Board of the University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO, USA.
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Woo, S., Flinn, M.V. Traditional Postpartum Care Among Women of Korean Descent in the United States. Matern Child Health J 26, 1871–1880 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-022-03378-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-022-03378-6