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African American Cultural Beliefs Essay

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African American Cultural Beliefs Essay
Health beliefs and cultural practices are an essential part of today’s multicultural society. It is beneficial for medical providers to be aware of the perspectives of different cultures. Minorities suffer from receiving proper health care because of lack of jobs, no insurance, and their cultural beliefs. A person’s cultural background can affect medical treatment and health care needs he or she may receive. People from different cultures have different beliefs on health care. The two different cultures I chose to discuss are Hispanic American and African American cultural views. I will be discussing the cultural views between Hispanic Americans and African Americans and their views on health care.

The majority of Hispanic Americans …show more content…
Many African Americans view religious as an essential part of life. African Americans view God as the source of good health and a source of serious illness. Many African Americans rely on religion, family, and social connections for support because of the unfairness they have encountered in the past. Many African Americans think they receive poor health care because of their ethnic background or their race. African Americans may not see a medical provider until this or her medical condition severe because of economic …show more content…
Harmony perspectives are common among alternative medicine specialist and folk healers. Some cultures, such as African Americans and Mexican Americans, believe that stress or unusual activities will lead to misbalance and cause a disease. Many cultures also believe that living a happy and healthy life will prevent certain illnesses from occurring. Harmony may helps people of many cultures resist disease and injury and recover more quickly.

Many cultures may reason that disease is the result of curses administered by God or witches. Some African tribes associate AIDS to the work of witchcraft and the association of witches working in the community. In Europe, some people did not receive the smallpox vaccine because they believed to be an interference with God’s way. The men in India refuse treatment or lifestyle changes for high-risk diabetes because they feel the disease is Allah’s will and they should enjoy the life in which they
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