lec 4 - trad health beliefs

culture determines how a person

• determines health

• recognizes illness

• seeks treatment

traditional health beliefs and practices can be based upon

• etiology of illness (cause)

• “cures” used

health belief systems

• abt how body works

• abt what makes us healthy/ill

• views vary

  • symptoms and disease

  • preventative/treatment measures

  • cures relied upon

food and diet important in most…

preventative and curative health systems

• appropriate foods for prevention and treatment of illness

worldview

• a philosophy or conception of the world

• based on common understanding and ranking of values

worldview determines

• expectations abt personal and public conduct

• assumptions regarding social interaction

• assessments of individual behavior

biomedicine

• the conventional system of health bare in US

• based on scientific findings

• treat diseases using latest tech

medical pluralism

consecutive or concurrent use of multiple health care systems

biomedical worldview

• cultural subdivisions of American majority worldview

• ppl responsible to preserve own health

  • immunizations, not smoking

• cultural imposition

cultural imposition

tendency for health care providers to enforce their beliefs, practices, and values upon clients

components of biomedical worldview

• relationship to nature vs mastery over nature

• personal control or fate? biomedical cause exists for every condition

• state of being: patients expected to be active partners in their cure

• role on individual is honored, confidentiality mandatory

• human equality: all patients deserve equal access to care

• aging: youthfulness is valued

• perceptions of time: future orientated

• degree of formality/degree of directedness: reflected in established biomedical hierarchy, emphasis on timeliness

• materialism vs spirituality: focus on physio characteristics; mind/body not viewed holistically
  

curing vs healing

• biomedical model focus on curing: diagnose and treat

• healing responds to personal, familial, social issues surroudning sickness

  • braoder more holistic view

  • not just treating physio aspects

biomedical model

• may be viewed negatively as

  • impersonal, costly, inconvenient

  • painful

  • ignoring cultural health beliefs

• ethnocentrism

• cultural relativism: number of views to view world, not necessary better/worse

health

according to WHO: state of physical, mental, social well being, not merely an absence of disease or infirmity

diff definitions of health

• native americans: health thru harmony with nature

• africans: balance with nature, benevolent and malevolent forces may disrupt person’s energy

• asians: yin and yang need to be in balance

• maintain health by living in accord with their God’s will

• health related to fulfilling social/familial obligations

worldviews’ effect on health care decisions

• reincarnation: individual may seem indifferent to terminal illness

• faith healing: may contradict health care reccs

• preservation of life: denial of sustaining care

preventative health care

may be unknown in some cultures where fate is believed to determine health

many cultures equate health with physical attributes

• physical

  • skin color

  • weight

  • hair sheen

• normal body functions

  • bowel function

  • menstruation

• undisturbed sleep

• appropriate energy levels

• behavioral norms

in multicultural environment, most sickness managed outside of biomedical system

• home remedies, popular therapies, alt medical care

• health, illness, treatment based on cultural view

nearly all cultures include 3 broad areas seen as necessary to preserving health

• diet

• sufficient rest

• cleanliness

most imp way a person can maintain health

food habits

• necessary for strength, energy, mental acuity

across cultures, dietary guidelines usually include

balance and moderation

quantity of food is often associated with

health

• middle east, poor appetite = illness

specific foods sometimes identified with

improved strength or vitality

• milk for strong bones, carrots eyesight

sympathetic quality of food

• looks like human body part or organ

• you are what you eat: properties of food incorporated into physical traits

  • gelatin = strengthened fingernails

• belief that fresh or local foods healthiest

biomedical worldview identifies causes of disease

• immediate causes: bacterial infection

• underlying causes: nutritional deficiency

• ultimate causes: hereditary predisposition

other worldview identifies causes of disease

• why good or evil happens

• calm individual fears of being a victim

client theories on etiology of sickness

• the patient

• natural world

• social world

• supernatural world

sickness due to patient

• lifestyle choices

• genetic or psychological vulnerability to illness or disease

• responsibility falls on patient

sickness due to natural world

• environmental

  • weather, allergens

• wind or bad air

  • enters body thru pores, orifices

• humoral

  • disharmony with environment

• astrology

  • determines fate

• natural forces

  • lightning, falling rocks

sickness due to social world

• evil eye

  • children most vulnerable

  • can project harm on another

  • jealousy

• conjuring

  • illness directed towards person by someone with imputed powers

sickness due to supernatural world

• caused by actions of gods, spirits, or ghosts of ancestors

• spirit possession

• malevolent spirits

• soul loss

healing practices: seeking care

• choice of care depends on patient’s view of illness

  • home remedies usually first treatment

  • determined by patient or with family

  • pro advice may be secondary

• many Americans seek unconventional treatments

• usually when illness not life threatening

healing practices: healing therapies

• treatments may fall into 1 of 3 broad categories

  • administration of therapeutic substances (biomedicine)

  • application of physical forces or devices

  • magico-religious interventions

healing practices: therapeutic substances

• biomedical med and diet prescriptions are two of most common types

• other ex:

  • over counter med

  • health food preparation

  • prepackaged diet meals

  • vit and mineral supps

  • herbal preparations

healing practices: physical forces or devices

• body manipulations improve internal function with adjustments to its physical structure

  • chiropractic theory

  • acupuncture

healing practices: magico-religious interventions

• spiritual healing practices are associated with nearly all religions

  • actions taken by individual

  • action taken on behalf of individual ny sacred healer

• sacred healer or those with spiritual calling may be sought

medical pluralism

• consecutive or concurrent use of multiple health care systems

• widespread in US

communicating: 4C’s of culture

• to reduce miscomm

• what do u call the problem/condition

• what do you think caused the problem/condition

• what have you done to cope

• what concerns do you have