Health problems Essay Example

Health problems Essay The Asian and Pacific Community that migrated to the Washington and Seattle regions of the US belonged to several cultures and spoke different languages such as Mandarin, Filipino, Hindi, Japanese, Korean and others. Beliefs are thoughts, ideas, and cognitions about certain things, individuals or events. Cultures refer to the ideas, values and attitudes learned by the individuals belonging to a social group. An attitude is an inclination that has been learned by an individual from his environment to behave in a consistent fashion towards another person or object. Behavior is the manner in which an individual performs acts which are observed by others. It is formed as a result of interactions of the individual with his/her environment. Values are traits that direct human actions and behavior. An individual’s socio-cultural flow depends on these five factors, namely, attitude, behaviour, values and beliefs (Turnock, J. , 2004). Several problems including faulty attitudes, fears, negative experiences, wrong beliefs, etc, may negatively affect the access to healthcare services by these communities (Mallett, Rosemarie, 2000). Studies have shown that the minority communities were experiencing socio-economic problems, along with health issues. They had very high health needs, but did not utilize the health services. Some sections of this population considered themselves to be self-reliant and had greater belief in family support than professional care. They frequently feared racial discrimination and hence avoided seeking medical support, although they depended more on it than when residing in their home nation. We will write a custom essay sample on Health problems specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Health problems specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Health problems specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer They had developed increased health problems due to the presence of several variables such as smoking, poverty, social isolation, poor access to healthcare, poor living conditions, etc. They usually ignored minor health problems, and sought care only for conditions that tend to persist and caused problems with normal functioning (Kenndey, M. G. , 2001). Mostly, health services were sought for relieve of symptoms rather than for health promotion or disease prevention. They consider that utilizing the health system would be expensive for them. They also feared being ill-treated, misunderstood, neglected, or forced to undergo tests and treatment procedures. Experiences of racism and indifferences with the Western healthcare system had increased the development of such attitudes (Mallett, Rosemarie, 2000). Language was a major problem, as it acted as a constraint in interacting with the healthcare professionals, sometimes resulting in faulty diagnosis and treatment. The professionals may sometimes be able to comprehend what individuals of these communities speak, but may not be in a position to understand the manner in which their health problems have developed. Hence, it would be more appropriate to employ volunteers belonging to the same community that are in a better position to understand and solve their health problems. Indifferences, negative attitudes, false beliefs, etc, would persist for sometime, and slowly die down, once the communities begin to have confidence in the healthcare system. Although racism and indifferences existed, these individuals to a greater extent began to make assumptions of the healthcare system (Witt, Deborah K. , 2006). References: Turnock, B. J. (2004). Public Health: What It is and How it Works (3rd ed. ). Boston: Jon and Bartlett Publishers. Kenndey, M. G. (2001). Utilization of Specialized Mental Health Services by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Retrieved 30, 2006, from University of Washington Web site: http://www. son. washington. edu/centers/hdc/KennedyMental%20Health%20Service. PPT. Mallett, Rosemarie, Craig, T. K. J. (2000). Mental health Services for Ethnic Minorities. In Gelder, M. G. , Lopez-Ibor, J. , Andreasen, N. (Ed. ), New Oxford Textbook of Psychiatry, (Vol. 2, 1st Ed. ). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Witt, Deborah K. (2006). Health Disparities in African American Males. Primary Care: Clinics in Office Practice, 33(1).