Cultural Diversity And Health Practices: European American Culture

Cultural Diversity
Jennifer White
ITT Technical Institute
NU100
2/10/2013

Every day, many professional nurses make a positive change in the lives of many individuals by providing high quality health care. However, now, in the 21st century, professional nurses are providing health care within an ever changing multicultural and global society. Different cultures have different health beliefs and health practices. This piece will look into the European American Culture with an emphasis on German Americans. The individual interviewed C.I. did not want to be classified as European American. C.I. will be referred to as German American.
1. Communication - German Americans are often misunderstood due to the level of directness in their speech. German Americans tend to value truth and to some degree efficiency over politeness and formality in speech. Directness is considered a sign of respect. German Americans are often accused of arrogance. Unlike Americans, they see humility as an evasion of fact and therefore will talk about themselves without the requirement of humility that Americans tend to value. Thus, when talking about one’s self, Germans seem arrogant to Americans and Americans come across as disrespectful and dismissive.
German Americans prefer to conduct business over the phone instead of in person.
The usual distance for social conversation is 2-3 feet--about arm’s length. Standing closer than this will usually be perceived as intimacy or invasiveness, but does depend on the relationship of those involved. The German American convention for eye contact is for the speaker to make intermittent brief contact with the listener, and for the listener to gaze fairly steadily at the speaker. Children are specifically taught to look at the speaker and will be reprimanded if they do not. Direct eye contact is believed to be a sign of honesty and
sincerity.
2.) Time Orientation - C. I. sates that many German Americans generally follow their health practices as learned by their Mother and Father. C.I. also states that socioeconomic status plays a role in their beliefs about health. Punctuality is essential in Germany. One must arrive on time for all appointments. Being late to an appointment, even if it is only by a few minutes, is very insulting.
3.) Social Roles - Generally Mothers/ Wives make all appointments regarding healthcare visits and appointments. German Americans are very private individuals. Specific health problems are kept private and generally only the adult family members of the home will know if there is illness involved. Health discussions are made as a family with the father/husband having the final say so. The healthcare system works through something called a “sickness fund”. Employees pay for this system through their places of employment (in Germany).
4.) Health Practices - The practices of traditional medicine are favored by most European Americans. In the United States medicine is characterized by rigorous safety rules. With treatments and medications must pass a strict review before they can be used for patient care. Health care providers use methods developed according to medical and scientific traditions. Treatments may include medication, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and physical therapy. Growing attention is being paid to preventive medicine to address growing rates of chronic diseases, preventable cancers, and the epidemic increase in obesity and diseases related to obesity, such as heart disease, hypertension, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. The holistic approach of Eastern medicine is increasingly being incorporated into traditional medical treatment. Illnesses and conditions are uniquely treated according to the way a particular patient experiences a disease. For example, patients with fibromyalgia may use meditation or massage therapy to reduce stress and improve muscle function. Eastern medicine’s greatest strength is in the area of treating the whole person—mind, body, and spirit—not just the disease.
5.) Health Risk - Women and children are generally very healthy. Women and children receive a great deal of their care through midwives. Men are more likely to die sooner than women and children. Men are more likely to die from heart disease. Men are more likely to commit suicide than women.
6.) Dietary Practices/limitations - The Western Pattern Diet (or Standard American Diet) is currently followed by many European Americans in Minnesota. The Western diet is characterized by high consumption of red meat, animal fats, sugary desserts, high fat salty foods, processed foods, and alcohol. According to the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, one-third of daily calories come from fast foods and other junk foods.
The German diet is low in fiber, complex carbohydrates, plant-based foods, vitamins, and minerals, compared to a healthy diet with more fruits, vegetables, whole-grain foods, poultry, and fish. Epidemic levels of obesity are a byproduct of the German diet. Obesity results in early death from stroke, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. On holidays and special occasions, European Americans often prepare traditional ancestral dishes, such as stolen (German), lutefisk and lefse (Scandinavian), and corned beef and cabbage or soda bread (Irish).
7.) Health beliefs - C.I. states that being overweight is not acceptable. Health, fitness and diet are very important. German Americans tend to be more body conscience in comparison to any other ethnicities. German American believe that disease and illness is hereditary. C.I. states that she doesn’t believe illness has to do with good or evil. C.I. states that when family members die of disease or acute illness then it was meant to be. However, if a family member dies tragically from acts of violence they don’t believe that it was “meant to be”. Professional nurses in Germany take care of the patients. Their work includes planning and establishing the patients ' needs, assessments, condition, documenting, and writing about the advancement and current condition of the patient. Preparation of medication is in the hands of nurses and its application: tablets, infusion etc. but not the i.v. application by syringe (except in the ICU). Blood samples and arrangement of venflos are not done by nurses (except in the ICU), but mostly done by students of medicine, even if it is in the curriculum. All basic care is done by professional registered nurses or coordinated and completed by the nursing students. In doing my research I concluded that there were differences in what was said in the interview and the information found in the virtual library. The interviewee spent a majority of her life in Germany. Since coming to America C. I. still follows a majority of her cultural beliefs. However, she has accepted some American beliefs as a part of her culture.
References
Langer, T., Pfeifer, M., Soenmez, A. Kalitzkus, V Wilm, S., Schnepp, W.. (2013) Activation of the maternal caregiving system by childhood fever--a qualitative study of the experiences made by mothers with a German or a Turkish background in the care of their children. BMC Family Practice. 2013, Vol. 14 Issue 1, p35-43. 9p. 2 Diagrams
Gottlich, U. (2013) Cultural Studies and Sociology of Culture in Germany: Relations and Interrelations. Unbound: Journal of Current Cultural Research Vol.5 p33-41 p. 9
C. I., personal communication, Jan 4, 2013