Culture and Health Essay.

Cultural values, attitudes, and beliefs reflect how people define health and illnesses. The perception of health and sickness by a particular cultural belief will determine their behavior towards healthcare services (Hernandez & Gibb, 2020).Culture and Health Essay.

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Population groups that overly rely on alternative medicine such as meditation and mindfulness are unlikely to seek conventional care when they are suffering from a medical condition. This is because cultural values define how an individual will behave as a patient and how they will perceive health and illness. In some cultural groups, sickness and illnesses are associated with a consequence of bad behavior(Hernandez & Gibb, 2020). Imperatively, people in such communities will be unlikely to see clinical care. Instead, they will rely on their culture and traditional therapy to cure them of their illnesses. Culture and Health Essay.

Because of the difference in cultural values, the decision making processes regarding health and illness may differ from one cultural group to another. Further, cultural problems create differences in communication, rapport, physical examination, and follow-up procedures. The special meaning of diet and medicine also requires attention. The perception of pain and distress also differs from one culture to another. Linguistic differences and the lack of an interpreter may hinder an individual from accessing healthcare services (Hernandez & Gibb, 2020). Also, in some cultures, the elderly are cared for by the young generation. In such cultures, the health status of the elderly may be better compared to cultures where the elderly are left to die alone.Culture and Health Essay.

Societal values such as educational levels, occupational factors, level of income, and the availability of social support groups affect healthcare access. People with high levels of health literacy are likely to seek healthcare services due to ill health (Bhatt & Bathija,2018). Similarly, people with higher incomes are likely to afford healthcare services due to insurance coverage. Lastly, certain occupations such as fishing and working in factories may predispose an individual to health conditions.Culture and Health Essay.

References

Hernandez, M., & Gibb, J. K. (2020). Culture, behavior, and health. Evolution, medicine, and public health, 2020(1), 12-13.

Bhatt, J., & Bathija, P. (2018). Ensuring access to quality health care in vulnerable communities. Academic Medicine, 93(9), 1271.

Culture and Health Essay.