Introduction to Health, Illness, and Culture in Nursing

Vocabulary flashcards covering core terms, health models, levels of prevention, risk factors, and cultural concepts from the lecture transcript.

Morbidity

How frequently a disease occurs in a population; refers to the illness rate.

Mortality

The number of deaths resulting from a certain disease; refers to the death rate.

Wellness

An active state of being healthy where a person actively engages in behaviors that promote their physical, mental, and emotional health.

Disease

A pathologic change in the structure or function of the mind or body.

Illness

An individual person's response to a disease, describing how that person experiences the disease.

Acute Illness

An illness characterized by rapid onset and short duration, after which patients are often able to return to their previous level of functioning.

Chronic Illness

A long-term illness with a slower onset and longer duration that may feature periods of remission and exacerbation, permanent or irreversible damage, and long-term management needs.

Health Equity

A state where everyone has the opportunity to achieve the highest level of health and access to healthcare.

Health Disparity

A difference in health outcomes closely linked to social, economic, or environmental disadvantages.

Social Determinants of Health

Conditions describing where people are born, live, learn, work, play, and worship that affect patient health outcomes.

Diversity

The differences represented among people in society, including race, religion, nationality, age, sexual identity, and orientation.

Inclusion

Creating an environment where everyone feels a sense of purpose and belonging.

Modifiable Risk Factor

A factor that increases the likelihood of illness or injury that a person may be able to change, such as diet, smoking, or exercise habits.

Nonmodifiable Risk Factor

A factor that increases the likelihood of illness or injury that a person cannot change, such as age, genetics, or biological sex.

Primary Prevention

Interventions that prevent disease before it occurs, such as immunizations, family planning, and accident prevention education.

Secondary Prevention

Screening and exam measures aimed at catching or finding a health problem early, such as colonoscopies and prostate exams.

Tertiary Prevention

Management of an existing disease to reduce complications and disability, such as physical therapy, rehab, and support groups.

Health Belief Model

A model focusing on patient perceptions—including perceived susceptibility, seriousness, and benefit—and how those perceptions influence health behavior.

Health Promotion Model

A model that examines factors influencing health-promoting behaviors, including individual characteristics, behavior-specific beliefs, and immediate competing demands.

Health-Illness Continuum

A framework demonstrating that health is a spectrum ranging from illness/death to high-level wellness along which a patient moves.

Agent-Host-Environment Model

An infectious disease model examining the interaction between an agent (cause/bacteria/virus), a susceptible host, and an environment conducive to interaction.

Stages of Change Model

A framework evaluating a person's readiness to change, progressing through precontemplation, contemplation, determination, and action.

Cultural Assimilation

The process where individuals from a minority group gradually adopt characteristics of the dominant culture.

Culture Shock

Psychological discomfort, confusion, or disturbance caused by being placed in an unfamiliar culture.

Ethnicity

Identification with a cultural group based on shared heritage, tradition, or social practices.

Race

A social and cultural construct associated with physical characteristics rather than a biological classification.

Stereotyping

Assuming that all members of a cultural or specific group are the same and act in identical ways.

Implicit Bias

Unconscious attitudes or stereotypes that affect decisions and interactions without a person realizing it.

Cultural Imposition

Imposing one's own cultural beliefs and practices onto another person or patient.

Cultural Blindness

Treating everyone the exact same way without recognizing individual differences or providing equitable care.

Ethnocentrism

The belief that one's own ideas, beliefs, and practices are superior to those of other cultures.

Cultural Humility

An approach involving self-awareness, openness, and recognition that one does not know everything about another culture, emphasizing learning directly from the patient.