Professional Documents
Culture Documents
1. Introduction
The main objective of this paper is to understand the effects of different
cultural behaviours on health and well-being. The aim will be to explore certain
factors which may bear an impact on the overall health and well-being of
individuals and these factors may include genetic inheritance, access to good
quality healthcare, the general external environment, the socio-economic status
as well as other countries and their attitudes to health. Additionally, this paper
will evaluate the effects of different perspectives on health and well-being.
One can draw a distinction between physical health, mental health and social
health. The World Health Organization (WHO) draws such a distinction of mental
health by defining it as being a state of well-being. "Health is a state of complete
physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or
infirmity." (www.who.int)
Culture can be defined as, the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a
particular people or society. (oxforddictionaries.com) In terms of the influence of
cultural behaviours on health and well-being, it is explained that, Health is
determined by several factors including genetic inheritance, personal behaviors,
access to quality health care, and the general external environment (such as the
quality of air, water, and housing conditions). In addition, a growing body of
research has documented associations between social and cultural factors and
health. (Berkman and Kawachi, 2000) (Marmot and Wilkinson, 2006)
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in
Northwest
Brittany
and
lower
incidence
(http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000107.htm).
in
the
Due
South
to
the
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There are a number of diseases that one could list and discuss that have been
impacted by culture and area. Perhaps the best known example would be sickle
cell anaemia. If one looks at geographical patterns, there is sufficient evidence to
suggest that one finds this in malaria infected areas. The gene variant to sickle
cell disease is related to malaria, not skin colour. Unfortunately malaria is
predominantly found in third world counties within Africa with poor infrastructure,
lack of education regarding sickle cell anaemia and access to quality health care
is nearly non-existent.
In the UK, about 12,500 people have SCD. It is more common in people
whose family origins are African, African-Caribbean, Asian or Mediterranean. It is
rare in people of North European origin. On average, 1 in 2,400 babies born in
England have SCD, but rates are much higher in some urban areas - about 1 in
300 in some places.
SCD is now one of the most common inherited conditions in babies born in the
UK.
(http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Sickle-Cell-Disease-and-Sickle-Cell-
Anaemia.htm)
2.2 Access to good health care
It is important to all of us to have good access to healthcare, this will
however differ depending the country and area we live in. Access to healthcare
has a great impact on our well-being.
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People in poor countries tend to have less access to health services than those
in better-off countries, and within countries, the poor have less access to health
services. Although a lack of financial resources or information can create barriers
to accessing services, the causal relationship between access to health services
and poverty also runs in the other direction. When health care is needed but is
delayed or not obtained, peoples health worsens, which in turn leads to lost
income and higher health care costs, both of which contribute to poverty
(Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences Volume 1136, Issue 1)
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years
and
remain
at
its
core.
(http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/thenhs/about/Pages/nhscoreprinciples.aspx)
Even though the core principles might be true to all UK & EU Citizens living
within the UK, the quality and access may vary hugely. People who live in major
cities (London, Manchester, Liverpool, and Birmingham to name but a few) have
more access to services than people living in rural areas (Cherwell, Wealden,
Newark and Sherwood and East Devon to name but a few). The proximity of the
services differs greatly as well as the types of services available.
Where one resides in the UK is not the only concern regarding access to
health care; ones occupation will also influence ones access to health care (the
hours one works, the type of employment, whether or not one is able to take
time off from work), including language and ones belief system. All these things
play a significant role in access to health care.
The lists which proceed, are a few samples of cultural beliefs that will
significantly impact on access to health care:
Asians
o Have a significant extended family influence, the oldest male in the
family is often the decision maker and spokesperson. The interests
and honour of the family are far more important than the individual
o
family members.
Western medicine focus on an assumption that external factors (i.e.
bacteria or virus) needs to be treated and that disease is either
mental or physical, whereas Eastern medicine assumes that the
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body is a whole, mental and physical is one and each part of the
o
body is connected.
Example of the above points:
An individuals behaviour reflects on the family, any illness or
mental illness may therefor produce shame or guilt. These
patients may be reluctant to discuss these things due to the
shame or guilt denying themselves the access to health care
available
Indian
o Often reluctant to accept any diagnosis of mental or emotional
illnesses as this could reduce the chances of other members within
o
due to karma
Hindus prefer to die at home due to their religious rituals that may
need to be performed, this could restrict access to life saving health
care
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Example
Environment
Air Pollution
Water quality
Food quality
Chemicals
Metals
Infectious
diseases
Man-made
structures
mobile phones
Air pollution is a major health risk and leads to poor air quality that
impacts an increased rate in repertory diseases. Just as densely populated areas
has a high risk of airborne diseases that could easily spread.
The travelling community in the UK has increased over the last couple of
years and their health and well-being is especially influence by their external
environment. Many of the 350 public Gypsy sites are situated in hostile
environments that are deemed unsuitable for any other development, such as on
old waste tips, or beside or underneath motorways. (Health care needs of
Travellers - http://adc.bmj.com/content/82/1/32.full#sec-1)
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utility rooms and failings in fire safety. Poor quality accommodation aggravate
existing heath conditions and could lead to new problems, higher infection rates
are linked to poor sanitation and poor access to clean water.
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In
developed countries people with low socio-economic statuses have poor health
behaviour (smoking,
bad
food
choices,
physical
inactivity,
over
alcohol
shown that healthy people often get promoted in the workplace where as
unhealthy people are often not or unemployed.
Those deprived economically and living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods
face a variety of chronic stressors in daily living: They struggle to make ends
meet; have few opportunities to achieve positive goals; experience more
negative life events such as unemployment, marital disruption, and financial
loss;
and
must
deal
with
discrimination,
marginality,
isolation,
and
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person will assist in 61% of births and 5% of births are unassisted. One in 14
women face the risk of dying during pregnancy or child birth, with the number
escalating even higher among poor uneducated woman.
Infant and child mortality is equally high, with 1 in 13 infants will not survive
their 1st birthday and a furthermore 1 in 8 will die before their 5 th birthday.
Marriage at the age of 7 or 8 is not unheard of in rural parts of Ethiopia. Such
early marriage and consequent pregnancy is one cause of higher rates of
maternal and infant mortality and morbidity, including from obstetric fistula, and
increased vulnerability to sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV.
(http://populationaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Health_Services.pdf)
The mortality rates are much lower in urban areas, however the mortality rate is
a direct reflection of the public health system and scares health care
infrastructure.
South Africa
South African private medical care outshines all African nations care and
even some European nations. Some private hospitals in Johannesburg, Cape
Town and Natal are centres of medical excellence and attacks tourists from other
continents. Unfortunately private health care in South Africa in beyond the reach
of 80% of the population.
The discrepancy between public and private health care is inconceivable,
the public sector is under staffed (One practising doctor for every 4219 patients)
and hugely over-subscribed, with a sever lack of diagnostic facilities and
overcrowded wards causing health hazards.
South Africa is one of the few countries in the world where child and maternal
mortality rates have risen since the 1990s because of the impact of HIV/AIDS,
which accounts for more than one-third of deaths among children under five.
(http://www.southafrica.info/about/health/health.htm#.VG1ukvmsVyU)
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One of the major concerns in South Africa is the lack of education with
regards to AIDS not just amongst poor uneducated people but also people in
power, 2 prime examples:
Ex-President Zuma's gave testimony in court that that he did not use a
condom during sex, despite knowing the woman was HIV-positive, but that
he had left his bedroom after having sex with the woman and taken a
shower because this would minimise the risk of contracting the disease
[HIV].
South Africa has one of the highest sexual violence statistics in the world,
where women have a one in three chance of being raped. There exists a belief
amongst low social-economic black men, primarily those with little or no
education, that AIDS is the result of bad spirits inhabiting the body and that
having sex with a virgin will cure AIDS. This transcends into forced sex where
young virgins and children including infants, are raped by men holding this
belief, and consequently causing severe genital damage and trauma to both the
victim and the family of the victim.
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3. Conclusion
and
perpetuated
cultural
beliefs
and
practices,
thus
putting
themselves and citizens in physical jeopardy. On the other hand, lower down the
socio-economic spectrum, uneducated men have held the mistaken belief that to
rid themselves of HIV, raping young virgins will rid them of their disease.
For citizens to benefit and achieve a good and fair quality of health and wellbeing, more effort needs to be invested by governments and public services at
all socio-economic levels.
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References
Websites
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The molecular genetic epidemiology of cystic fibrosis, , Available at:
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accessed on 9 November 2014
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION. 2007. World Health Survey Results. , Available
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on 18 November 2014
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Poor Access to Health Services: Ways Ethiopia is Overcoming it. Available at:
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Accessed 20 November 2014
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Accessed 20 November 2014
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Health Care in South Africa. Available at:
http://www.southafrica.info/about/health/health.htm#.VG1ukvmsVyU#ixzz3Ja5fx
RgE Accessed on 20 November 2014
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/culture
http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/mental_health/en/
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