This is a focused ethnography study of 10 preadolescents' mothers who participate in OASE (Help Group of Evangelic Women) in Timbó, Santa Catarina, Brazil. The purpose of the study was to describe variances in patterns of health promotion, quality of life and preadolescents' risk behavior from the mothers' perspective, exploring how they influence their children and protect them in terms of risk behavior such as alcohol, tobacco, other drugs and violence. Semistructured interviews, participant observation, field notes, genograms and photography were used for data collection. Data were analyzed according to Bardin and the results were grouped in 4 categories: mothers see their function as a challenge; being healthy as a condition for quality of life; obstacles to achieve quality of life; health promotion practices to protect preadolescents from risks. The study showed mothers see themselves as participants in health promotion, which can guide health policy makers and encourage behavioral changes.
health promotion; mothers; risk-taking; quality of life; nursing