The purpose of this study was to explore and examine the self- reported reasons for acting or not acting on safety recommendations taken by older Black and White men who had sustained a prior burn injury. Additional purposes were to explore how culture influences burn prevention behaviors and attitudes towards behavioral change in this population.

A qualitative inquiry using four domains of Leininger's Culture of Care Model was used to interview sixteen older men (8 Black & 8 White) to explore and examine their self-reported reasons for acting or not acting on safety recommendations after sustaining a burn injury. The majority of the participants (6 Black & 6 White) reported feelings of anxiety, mental anguish and hesitancy being around fire regardless of how their injury may have occurred. Respondents worked through their apprehension by forcing themselves to be more cautious when grilling, cooking or lighting fires, but still continued unsafe behavior. The view of safety behaviors and how other men may view such behaviors differed by race.

Additional purposes were to explore how culture influences burn prevention behaviors and attitudes towards behavioral change. Four primary themes emerged that reflected cultural influence: (1) emotional "workarounds" with intermittent reinforcement and/or transference; (2) domino effect; (3) poverty may contribute to an individual taking more personal risks regarding safety and (4) lack of awareness may pose increased risks.