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Parks provide opportunities for people to engage in activities that can promote physical and emotional well-being. Using focus groups and personal interviews conducted in select neighborhoods of a Northeastern city with a high rate of obesity, we examined perceptions of barriers and facilitators regarding the use of parks and park features that would promote physical activity among Latina women ( N = 39). Foreign-born Latinas emphasized the environmental characteristics of parks and the types of amenities that can support preferred cultural and social activities, while U.S.-born Latinas emphasized the use of parks for physical activity and weight management. Most striking were the different ways in which foreign-born participants conceptualized parks as sociocultural family centers, extending more common conceptualizations centered on exercise or individual health gain. These findings suggest the need for new policies that incorporate culturally specific park programming to promote national goals of increasing levels of physical activity for health.

Purpose/objectives: To describe the grieving behaviors and selected death beliefs and rituals for two Latino groups: island Puerto Ricans and Mexican immigrants., Data Sources: Published articles, book chapters, books, government documents, and clinical experience., Data Synthesis: Limited scientific research exists on the grieving process and beliefs about death of Latinos. Death is seen as an extension of life in some Latino cultures, a belief that seems to assist positively in the grieving process. Rituals and ceremonies to honor the dead still are practiced in many Latino cultures and are rooted partly in their cultural heritage., Conclusions: Nurses caring for Latinos with cancer can provide better care with an understanding of grieving behaviors observed early in the disease process and at the time of imminent death., Implications for Nursing Practice: Culturally competent care can be given when beliefs and values about death are understood. Allowing Latino clients to grieve and honor the dead in a culturally appropriate way will enhance the nurse/client/family relationship.