Unit 2:

Cultural and Social Influences on Health Behaviors

Unit Objectives
 Contrast the ways of defining health and
well-being
 Identify cultural influences on one’s own
beliefs and values toward health.
 Contrast how different cultures influence
choices and health practices.
 Evaluate health outcomes in relation to
sociocultural factors.
Culturally Competent Care
 Holistic health care that is culturally
sensitive, culturally appropriate, and
culturally competent
 Takes into account:
◦ Context in which the patient lives
◦ Situations in which the patient’s health
problems arise
◦ Beliefs about health and illness
 Cultural Phenomena and Etiquette

Biological Variations Food customs Dietary restrictions

Social Organization Holidays Know protocols

Communication Eye Contact Avoidance may =

respect
Space Body language When to avoid touch

Time Orientation Taboo times Familiarity with

Holidays
How do you define?
 HEALTH?

 ILLNESS?
Ethnomedical Systems
 Cultural systems of health knowledge and
practice
◦ Kinds of illnesses / problems (vs disease)
◦ Factors that cause illness
◦ Appropriate treatment
◦ Appropriate healers
Non-Western Systems
 Personalistic Systems
◦ Spiritual / supernatural force is the cause of
illness
◦ Counter act the force
 Naturalistic Systems
◦ Illness is a result of imbalance (ex:Yin/Yang;
Cold/Hot)
◦ Return balance to the system
Placebo Effect
 Improvement in a condition as a result of
a treatment that has no proven medical
impact.
 The power of belief…

 Examples??
Ethnopsychiatric Systems
 Nature of psychological / emotional
conditions
 Is there a distinction between physical
and psychological issues?
 Cultural judgment associated with being
psychologically “unwell”
◦ Historical examples
◦ Conditions unique to American/Western
society?
Culture-Bound Syndromes
Illness Behavior

 Behavior / expectations / judgments of

behavior are often culturally guided
 “The Sick Role”
◦ Role for those who are sick
◦ Role for those who assist the ill person
 Child - Parent
 Employee – Boss
 Spouses
 Friends
A funny look at the “sick role”
Stigma
 Health problem Cause Kind of
Person
 “Other”
◦ Marginalizing groups and life conditions may
continue a trend of disease

 Leprosy / Leper example

Leprosy Example
 Communicable (caused by bacteria)
disease that impacts skin, mucous
membranes, nerves and internal organs
◦ Long exposure required; long incubation
period
◦ Highly treatable with drugs
◦ Most do not have disfiguring symptoms
 Disease is constant, response is not
Stigma
 Current examples?
◦ Mental Illness
Vulnerability
 Interaction between cultures, external
environment and internal ecologies that
create vulnerabilities to disease.
 Vulnerability lead to culturally-influenced
disease pathways or trajectories
◦ Some cultures have great exposure / risk
◦ Some individuals within a culture share
vulnerabilities and thus trajectory toward
disease
Factors increasing vulnerability?
 Between cultures?  Within our culture?
◦ Physical / ◦ Physical /
Environmental factors Environmental factors
◦ Biological factors ◦ Biological factors
◦ Political factors ◦ Political factors
◦ Socio-economic ◦ Socio-economic
factors factors