Culture has significant effects on health behaviors and illness experiences. When people move to a new culture, they may experience culture shock which involves phases like a honeymoon period, crisis as excitement fades, and eventual adjustment. Illness is understood differently across cultures, with some viewing it as natural and others supernatural. Patients bring culturally influenced ideas about symptoms, treatment, and decision-making. Dietary taboos also vary between cultures. Health care providers must consider these cultural factors to effectively serve diverse patient populations.

1. Culture, Health and society
Unit III
Culture and Health Behavior/Socialization
By
Sehrish Naz
Lecturer INS-KMU

2. Culture, Health and society
Explain the effects of culture on illness, cultural shock, and
maladjustment.
Describe sickness and sick role, birth and death.
Discuss the cultural variations in symptoms. How do the sick
behave?
Review the concept of compliance in different cultures
Describe the food taboos in different cultures.
Define behavior in-groups: status, deviance, alienation, and
socialization

3. Culture, Health and society

4. Culture, Health and society
When a person moves to a cultural environment which is
different from one's own;
Experiencing an unfamiliar way of life due to migration or a move
between social environments, or individuals in a foreign
environment.
Culture shock can be described as consisting of at least one of
the distinct phases.

5. Culture, Health and society
The Honeymoon Stage
During the first few weeks most individuals are fascinated by the
new.
They stay in hotels and associate with nationals who are gracious
to foreigners.
This honeymoon stage may last from a few days to six months.
If one is a very important person he or she will be taken for sight
seeing, press interviews etc. If he returns home he may well
write about his pleasant experience.

6. Culture, Health and society
Crisis/ anxiety period; excitement has turned to disappointment,
resulting from losing familiar signs and ways of social
interactions.
Regression. The home environment suddenly assumes a
tremendous(wonderful) importance, everything becomes
irrationally glorified(overvalued). All difficulties and problems are
forgotten and only the good things back home are remembered.
It usually takes a trip home to bring one back to reality.

7. Culture, Health and society
Stereotyping
stereotyping is any time you grouping races or individuals
together and make a judgment about them without knowing
them.
Example of a stereotype
Racial remarks, gender remarks and cultural remarks are the
biggest stereotypes.

8. Culture, Health and society
Adjustment phase; begins to accept the new culture, try new
foods, see the humor in situations.
Acceptance or adaptation phase; feel at home in the new
culture and become involved in activities of the culture but still
respects theirs own culture.

9. Culture, Health and society
Migrants are a vulnerable group. They may face:
Language barriers
Cultural barriers
Discrimination
Low level of jobs
Migrant populations are likely to have unmet health needs and
may also have particular mental health needs.
An inclusive society gives priority to unmet health needs of
vulnerable groups.

10. Culture, Health and society
Effects of culture on illness

11. Culture, Health and society
All cultures have systems of health beliefs to explain what causes
illness, how it can be cured or treated, and who should be
involved in the process.
Western societies see disease as a result of natural scientific
phenomena.
Some societies believe that illness is the result of supernatural
phenomena.

12. Culture, Health and society
Cultural differences affect patients‘ attitudes about medical care
and their ability to understand, manage, and cope with the
disease.
Patients and their families bring culture specific ideas
(reporting of symptoms, expectations, values etc.)
culture specific values influence patient roles and expectations
(information about illness and treatment, death and dying,
bereavement patterns, gender and family roles, and processes for
decision making).

13. Culture, Health and society

14. Culture, Health and society
Illness behavior refers to “the way in which symptoms are
perceived, evaluated, and acted upon by a person who
recognizes some pain, discomfort or other signs of malfunction.”
Illness behaviors learn first in the family, vary for men and
women and for different social classes and ethnic groups.
In Western society men are expected to tolerate pain and
discomfort.
Such cultural learning may account for the fact that women
report more symptoms.

15. Culture, Health and society
Cultural issues play a major role in patient
Different beliefs about illness causation and treatment
Rely on traditional healing methods that are part of their cultural
heritage.
Seeking health care only when symptoms.
Family influence in decision making.
Female gender and male dominancy.
Vulnerable population dependency for economic support.
Cultural taboos.

16. Culture, Health and society
French: frogs and snails considered delicacies
Chinese: dogs
Note: dogs, cats, squirrels, etc all have nutritional value, but are not commonly
eaten by all cultures. Why?
Fasting: Avoiding certain foods at certain times (Hindus, Jews, Christians,
Muslims)
Sikhs: Beef strictly forbidden. Pork allowed. They have a form of ritual
slaughter.
Vegetarian movement today: Vegetarianism implies purity, lightness,
wholeness, spirituality etc. Whereas, meat associated with aggressiveness,
animal nature…

17. Culture, Health and society
Hindu (Brahmins) never handle or eat any meat, fish, or eggs.
also abstain from cooking or eating onion and garlic as they are
said to increase passions like anger.
Milk and milk products are consumed.

18. Culture, Health and society
Learn about the cultural traditions of the patients.
Pay close attention to body language, lack of response, or
expressions of anxiety that may signal that the patient or family
is in conflict but perhaps hesitant to tell you.
Ask the patient and family open-ended questions to gain more
information about their assumptions and expectations.
Remain nonjudgmental when given information that reflects
values that differ from yours.
Follow the advice given by patients about appropriate ways to
facilitate communication within families and between families
and other health care providers.

19. Culture, Health and society
Status/Class Position in a social hierarchy based on prestige
and/or property ownership.
Socialization The process of preparing newcomers to become
members of an existing social group by helping them to learn the
attitudes and behaviors that are considered appropriate.
Deviance: Behaviors or characteristics that violate important
social norms.
Alienation: The separation of individuals from themselves and
from others.

20. Culture, Health and society

21. Culture, Health and society
http://www.asanet.org/sites/default/files/savvy/introtosociology/Docume
nts/Glossary.html
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/016383439390090B
Culture and health article