Preview

African American Cultural Beliefs Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
723 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
African American Cultural Beliefs Essay
Health beliefs and cultural practices are an essential part of today’s multicultural society. It is beneficial for medical providers to be aware of the perspectives of different cultures. Minorities suffer from receiving proper health care because of lack of jobs, no insurance, and their cultural beliefs. A person’s cultural background can affect medical treatment and health care needs he or she may receive. People from different cultures have different beliefs on health care. The two different cultures I chose to discuss are Hispanic American and African American cultural views. I will be discussing the cultural views between Hispanic Americans and African Americans and their views on health care.

The majority of Hispanic Americans
…show more content…
Many African Americans view religious as an essential part of life. African Americans view God as the source of good health and a source of serious illness. Many African Americans rely on religion, family, and social connections for support because of the unfairness they have encountered in the past. Many African Americans think they receive poor health care because of their ethnic background or their race. African Americans may not see a medical provider until this or her medical condition severe because of economic …show more content…
Harmony perspectives are common among alternative medicine specialist and folk healers. Some cultures, such as African Americans and Mexican Americans, believe that stress or unusual activities will lead to misbalance and cause a disease. Many cultures also believe that living a happy and healthy life will prevent certain illnesses from occurring. Harmony may helps people of many cultures resist disease and injury and recover more quickly.

Many cultures may reason that disease is the result of curses administered by God or witches. Some African tribes associate AIDS to the work of witchcraft and the association of witches working in the community. In Europe, some people did not receive the smallpox vaccine because they believed to be an interference with God’s way. The men in India refuse treatment or lifestyle changes for high-risk diabetes because they feel the disease is Allah’s will and they should enjoy the life in which they

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    In this reading you will see three traditions that are different from each other. There’s Vietnamese, Africans and European Americans that have different views within each other health decisions, religious beliefs and environments they grew up in. A comparison in these three will be identified. A description of health benefits and the way they handle sickness and healing will also be identified. The goal is to see that every culture has different ways they handle situations along with different environments they lived in.…

    • 1143 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Religious based health also reminds me of the Hispanic culture. They also use Holy water and saint in the faith of curable diseases. In the Hispanic faith saint Jude is the saint of prayer for desperate situations. Candles and long prayer for a period of time would grant them survival and health to love one.…

    • 55 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Oncology QSEN Case Study

    • 1606 Words
    • 7 Pages

    -Value the hispanic culture and encourage the patient to incorporate their beliefs and cultures in their healthcare.…

    • 1606 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Evan Family Case Study

    • 2240 Words
    • 9 Pages

    African Americans may hold the belief that diseases can be cured when a person of faith gifted with special healing powers touches the afflicted person. This touch is usually accompanied by prayer. Sometimes, it is believed that “…the laying on of hands is thought to free the person from all suffering and pain, and people who still experience pain are considered to have little faith” (Purnell, 2003, p. 50). It is important that the health care provider be aware of these spiritual practices, their potential effect on the health care plan, to provide culturally competent…

    • 2240 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In our day to day job as nurses, we come across patients from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. It is our duty to make them feel at ease with the care they are receiving and to be able to do so, it is imperative that nurses become culturally competent by understanding how the patients’ culture influences their views on health protection, maintenance and restoration. Culture is a pattern of behavior and values shared by an ethnic group (Winkleman, 2001). The Heritage Assessment Tool (HAT) is a guide to understanding the individual’s cultural beliefs in relationship to the biological, social, environmental, spiritual and psychological factors that influence their acceptance and adherence to treatment plan. Cultural heritage is a set of traditions within a culture that is handed down from the older to the younger generation within a family. These traditions influence the family’s decision in relation to their diet, education, day-to-day activities, spiritual beliefs (Christianity, Judaism, Islam or non believers) as well as health traditions. In our household, we raise our children based on our religious and cultural beliefs even though they were born here in the United States. We speak our native language to them on an ongoing basis to ensure that they can communicate with our relatives when we visit them.…

    • 1557 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Heritage Assessment

    • 951 Words
    • 4 Pages

    References: Askim-Lovseth, M., & Aldana, A. (2010). Looking beyond "affordable" health care: cultural understanding and sensitivity-necessities in addressing the health care disparities of the U.S. Hispanic population. Health Marketing Quarterly. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21058099?dopt=Abstract.…

    • 951 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Heritage Assessment

    • 988 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Spector, R. E. (2009). Cultural Diversity in Health and Illness (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall Health.…

    • 988 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    |For freshman applicants only. This personal essay is a very important part of your application. It assists the University in |…

    • 640 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Every human is a member of many cultures. Culture influences an individual health belief, practices and outcome of medical treatments. Demographic changes…

    • 658 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The two videos I choose to watch were “African American families” and “Beliefs and Behaviors”…

    • 543 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    Some African Americans attend church every Sunday along with other church related activities, while others attend occasionally, watch church service on television or only go on Easter Sunday. Religion is a corner stone in the Black community providing fellowship, community and a second or extended family. The church is also used for support and is often used as a vehicle for health screening (Levin, J., Chatters, L. M., & Taylor, R. J., 2005).…

    • 2314 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mississippi has gone through many cultural changes in its history a few major cultural changes have been the trail of tears and loss of Native American culture the end of slavery and agrarian based society, and the transition to a desegregated society.…

    • 585 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Vulnerable Populations

    • 3136 Words
    • 13 Pages

    Many first and second-generation youths of color have great difficulty with cultural barriers due to acculturation - the degree to which they assimilate the values beliefs and behaviors of the host culture. Sometimes they don't necessarily agree with the best care the doctor says there is because it conflicts with their values and beliefs on morally treating patients. The American health care system is not the most welcoming into open ideas about spirituality curing, its much more of a direct science approach that does not dismiss miracles but perceives such things as so unlikely that it might as well be…

    • 3136 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    “My culture is my identity and personality. It gives me spiritual, intellectual and emotional distinction from others, and I am proud of it”. African-American culture, also known as black culture, in the United States it refers to the cultural contributions of African Americans to the culture of the United States, either as part of or distinct from American culture. The African American, and also my own culture are made up of a lot of things. In common with some and very different from others. My culture involves my school, my family tradition, food, music, clothing, and shoes.…

    • 908 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Religion vs. Medical Care

    • 1897 Words
    • 8 Pages

    As Mrs. Johnson waits in the doctor’s office, she hopes to finally hear after two years of trying to conceive that she is expecting. A very successful twenty eight year old woman feels enthusiastic about her possibility of being pregnant, after four years of marriage. Dr. Neil enters the room and began to inform her that she has stage three ovarian cancer and he would like to start treatment as soon possible. Mrs. Johnson looks at the doctor and says,”No treatment, I know my faith in God will heal me.” Mrs. Johnson believes that God and her faith will heal her body, because it is a temple that God has made. The beliefs of different religions can lead to unnecessary pain, restricted care, and possible death.…

    • 1897 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays