Running head: EVALUATING DIFFERENT CULTURES
Evaluating Three Different Cultures Using the "Heritage Assessment Tool"
Laural Mokonchu
Grand Canyon University: NRS-429VN
March 12th, 2017
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EVALUATION OF THREE DIFFERENT CULTURES
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Evaluating Three Different Cultures Using the "Heritage Assessment Tool"
Cultural Heritage are expressions of a way of life created by a society that are inherited
from past generation, that include value, beliefs, traditions, objects, lands, and artifacts (Aman &
Cervantes-Poco, 2016). People from different cultures have their systems of health beliefs to
justify the cause of sickness, how the sickness can be treated or cured, and which family
members should be included in the process. Cultural differences influence people’s attitudes
regarding health care and their ability to manage, understand, and cope with the course of
sickness, the interpretation of a diagnosis, and the effects of medical treatment (Hart & Mareno,
n.d).
This paper examines the health traditions of three different cultures based on their cultural
heritage, and how they subscribe to those practices and traditions. The paper also addresses how
these families protects, maintains, and restore health by use of assessments from the “heritage
assessment tool”.
Common Health Traditions Based on Cultural Heritage
The three families interviewed from different cultural background for this paper were
from Mexico, Ghana and Cameroon. Even though there are cultural differences between these
families, there are also some similarities in their practices and beliefs.
Mexicans Health Cultural Heritage
In the USA, people from Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and central-America descent are
referred to as Hispanic-American regardless of their race. Folk medicine has been a longstanding tradition and practice in the Hispanic-American culture. People from this cultural
heritage frequently view good health as God’s gift to them whether or not they take part in the
folk healing system. They believe being healthy is a reward for their good behaviors, and
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sometimes perceive illnesses as a punishment for one’s wrongdoing. Some other possible
sources of illnesses that are particular to this cultural group include envy, supernatural cause, and
an imbalance between cold and hot (Galarraga, 2007).
Cameroonians Health Cultural Heritage
Many Cameroonian cultures are centered around the importance of church and family.
They have extended kinship bonds with aunts, grandparents, cousins, uncles, and people that are
not related to them biologically but plays a vital role in their family system. Health care
comprises of traditional practices frequently closely bound to traditional religion, biomedical
treatment, and Islamic medicine in a variety of combination that depends on cost, belief,
proximity, and the recommendations of neighbors and family. The traditional practitioners
include diviners, bone setters, herbalists, and ritual specialists who may supplicate ancestors or
spirits, and these practitioners adjust to changing situations by integrating medicines and new
ideas into their practices (Joffroy, Barillet, and Longuet, 2011).
Ghanaians Health Cultural Heritage
In Ghana, medical and traditional medicine remains essential because of the scarcity of
public hospitals and the tendency for the people of Ghana to patronize natives and modern
medicines concurrently. Traditional remedies for illness concentrate equally on medicinal plants
psychosociological environment, and supernatural cause. Their “Abosom” priestesses and priests
address illnesses by means of sacrifice, prayers, herbal cures, and divination. Guardians of the
“fetish shrines” focus greatly on charms that are magical, and herbs grown in a garden bordering
enclosures of the god's. Whereas, the more secularly oriented herbalists deal mainly with plants
that has medicinal properties collected from the forest, grow, or bought in the market. In cases
where orthodox medicine doesn’t cure an illness, the person is believed to have sinned against
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God and a priest is consulted, and if the sin is against a lesser god, they seek healing from the
shrines and spirits (Mantey, 2010).
How these Families Subscribe to These Practices and Traditions
The Hispanic family maintains a close family relationship and lives in close proximity
with extended families. The family is very involved in cultural and religious practices, enjoys
mostly their native foods, lives in a community where majority of the people are from same
ethnic background, and belief in alternative forms of treatment. Although this family seeks
medical treatment when absolutely necessary, they mostly rely on naturalist healers who uses
plants, massages, cleansings, and herbs to heal illnesses. The family also belief in the
supernatural cause of illness, and that certain illnesses are because of one’s own doing. Each
family member has a specially made necklace from Mexico that is considered a charm to thwart
out evil spirits. The children were born in the United States but mostly speak Spanish at home,
and are taught by their parents to identify with their cultural heritage.
The family from Cameroon also maintains a close relationship with their family,
extended families, and even those from the same ethnic group that are not directly or biologically
related to them. They rely more on western medicine and prayers during a health crisis, and
believes in a scientifically cause of disease, not the spiritual. They do not participate in
traditional forms of treatments like consulting herbalist or native doctors. Even though the family
associates with others from the same cultural background, they also do enjoy meeting and
spending time with others from different cultures, and lives in a community that the neighbors
are from a wide variety of religious and cultural background. The family also lives with members
of the extended family, frequent religious functions, visits their home country frequently, mostly
prepare foods from their culture, but prefers and speaks primarily English.
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The family from Ghana on the other hand maintains a close relationship only with direct
family member. They believe in the supernatural causes of disease but do not ascribe to
traditional forms of treatment, as they rely solely on medical treatments and prayers. They rarely
participate in religious activity but endorses praying and reading the bible at home as a family,
enjoys being a part and lives in a community with neighbors of the same cultural group, and are
active members in ethnic activities. They also like eating foods from their culture, raise their
children in the ways of their customs and traditions, and teaches them to speak the language of
their forefathers.
How Health Maintenance, Protection, and Restoration Relate to the Families Assessment
When it comes to health maintenance, protection and restoration, the Hispanic family
would rather seek traditional forms of treatment, perform a cleansing bath with a mixture of
medicinal plants, and believe in balancing “hot” and “cold” to prevent illnesses. The Hispanic
family also uses supplemental herbs to maintain health, and only seek medical treatment as a last
resort. They immunize their children because it is recommended by schools as they believe their
ancestors and charms will protect them. Part of the reason this family do not seek medical care
earlier on is the belief that there is a spiritual cause behind every illness not just scientific.
The Cameroonian and Ghanaian families on the other hand, go to the hospital, seek
medical and preventive care (e.g. vaccines and screening), and prays for divine intervention to
protect, maintain and restore health. Their children are up to date on their immunizations, the
parents go for their yearly physical and screenings, and they follow recommendations from
medical practitioners to prevent and treat diseases. Their family and extended families are
involved when it comes to making medical decisions and support one another during illness.
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All these three families’ belief in the existence of a supernatural being (God), and prays
to him for the restoration, protection, and maintenance of health even though their practices are
different.
Conclusion
It is important to understand that not all ethnic groups practice traditional medicine, but
health care providers should be aware that sometimes people who seems to have hesitated in
seeking medical treatment might have counted on curing the illness using traditional remedies.
Health care providers should also be aware that some cultures require certain family members to
weigh in when making significant healthcare decisions. Even though people can belong to the
same cultural or ethnic group, there may be variations in health traditions and practices within
that group. Making assumptions on health traditions and practices based on one’s cultural
heritage leads to prejudice. Performing a heritage assessment is important as it can be used to
evaluate a family’s needs, and develop a plan of care that is tailored specifically for that family
for the maintenance, protection, and restoration of health.
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References
Aman, T. C., & Cervantes-Poco, M. R. (2016). What's in a Name? Challenges in Defining
Cultural Heritage in Light of Modern Globalization. Ateneo Law Journal, 60(4), 965-991.
Galarraga, J. (2007). Hispanic-American Culture and Health. Retrieved from
http://case.edu/med/epidbio/mphp439/Hispanic_Healthcare.pdf
Hart, P., & Mareno, N. (n.d). Cultural challenges and barriers through the voices of nurses.
Journal of Clinical Nursing, 23(15-16), 2223-2233.
Joffroy, T., Barillet, C., and Longuet, I. (2011). Cultural Heritage & local development. A Guide
for African Local Governments, 2, 1-112
Mantey, J. (2010). Traditional Beliefs Play Major Role in Ghanaian Health Care. Retrieved from
http://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Ghana.html