Value/Belief Pattern, Health Perception/Management Pattern, Nutrition/Metabolic Pattern, Elimination (Environmental Health Concerns), Activity/Exercise Pattern.

African Americans make up the single largest racial minorities in the states. Most African Americans are of west and Central African descent and are descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States. However, some immigrants from African, Caribbean, Central American or South American nations, or their descendants, may be identified or self-identify with the term.

Values and belief pattern
African American has strong kinship bonds, strong work orientation, strong religious orientation, adaptable family roles, use informal support network – church or community, distrust of government & social services – feel “big brother doesn’t care about us’’, most are assimilated to the Anglo-American culture, take care of their own, don’t like to admit they need help – strong sense of pride, lack of knowledge about available services and how the system works, natural remedies used frequently – laying on of hands and prayer are used to heal, Poverty impacts education, self-esteem, quality of life and lifestyle across the lifespan, seniors are highly respected – aging represents respect, authority and wisdom, tend to keep things hidden within the family system – fear being disgraced or family being disgraced. African American has core values like sharing, expressing personal style, being real and genuine, being assertive, expressing feelings, bouncing back, and distrust mainstream establishment.

Health perception and management pattern
Individual and social reactions to illnesses among older Blacks have been multifaceted over the decades during and since chattel slavery in the United States. The differences have included variations in (1) categories and definitions of