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African American Culture

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Different people have different beliefs regarding sickness, wellness, and birth as well as death which direct various forms of culture. The Heritage Assessment tool is used in order to build a greater understanding of cultural beliefs. Although the assessment is only composed of a few questions, it is used as a pathway to open up discussions regarding one’s own values about sickness, health, religion, and family support systems. This assignment will discuss and measure diversity and similarities between Americans and the sub groups of African Americans and Middle Eastern culture groups. Though Middle Easterners generally respect Western Medicine, they have common folk beliefs such as other people having powers to cause others illness …show more content…
African Americans are becoming more health conscious and are seeking health screenings and treatments, yet are more reluctant to share personal and family issues until they are sure that their health care provider is truly interested. Many African Americans believe in folk medicine and will only seek care if all home remedies have been tried, likewise, some equate health as a form of luck. (NIH.gov, n.d). African Americans have strong religious affiliations and often correlate good health with good religious practice. Many churches have health ministries with parish nurses and congregations that support good health with vaccines, education, and blood pressure checks. (Dimensions of culture, 2010). Soul food is popular in the African American culture, which originated in the southern United States, and often contains high fatty and fried foods. The subject selected for this assessment has a Hispanic father and African American mother, who divorced when she was young, therefor was raised by her mother. Because the subject is a Registered Nurse, she is proactive with both her and her children’s health maintenance. Most of her extended family live in the south, and other than her sisters, reports not …show more content…
Unlike African Americans and Middle Easterners, Americans have an ongoing battle with time management. Americans invented fast food, day timers, drive-thru pharmacies, and even added the term “multi-tasking” to the English language. This ‘time control’ often causes other cultures to be less at ease, especially in the health care setting. Americans tend to focus more on getting things done, rather than developing relationships. Unlike most other cultures, Americans are more likely to be optimistic with new medical treatments or medications and are thought to take more chances and be more open to change. Americans also tend to be more self-sufficient and independent, and typically don’t believe in destiny or the power of karma and fate, believing that every individual has primary control; and as different cultures tend to resign themselves to bad things happening, Americans rarely will. Unlike other cultures, Americans are more likely to live in a retirement home or facility rather than live with younger and abler caregivers. The American subject in this assignment was this writer’s father, who is upper middle class, does not practice religion of any form with the exception of celebrating Christmas, and prefers to make health decisions independently. Unlike all of the other subjects in

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