Chapter 10: Cultural Competence: Awareness, Sensitivity, and Respect

Think for a while about cultural practices and how they affect health or illness in your own family. They may be difficult to identify as such at first, but they do exist. What ideas about illness prevention does your family adhere to? What do you do when someone gets sick? What rituals does your family practice when someone dies?

Answer preview

Culture has a vast influence on health through the way it affects how a family perceives health, causes of illness and death, how illnesses are treated, among others (Greenhalgh, 2016). The culture of my family reflects Christian beliefs as well as the traditional beliefs upheld by our ancestors. My family believes that illness is caused by natural causes and unfavorable environmental conditions, such as poor hygiene and sanitation. My family also believes that the absence of good morals, such as lack of respect for the elderly and bad lifestyle practices can cause illnesses. The ideas about illness prevention that my family adhere to include practicing good hygiene and consuming natural foods rather than processed foods. My family also believe that staying up to date on vaccinations is important in preventing illnesses. Avoiding bad lifestyle practices such as consumption of alcohol and smoking are other ideas about illness prevention my family adheres to.  (402 words)