1. Mediterranean Populations
Lifestyle, health beliefs, and Disparities of
Amish, Roma
&
Arab
Populations
By: Jordan Svehla, Alicia Watson, Allison Bodle, Bukky Ogunfeitimi,
Camry Grigsby, & Josh Yonker

2. Amish Americans
Lifestyle:
The Amish lifestyle is very different than that of
most Americans. They live in communities with other
Amish families and tend to stay within their community.
They avoid using technology of kind and have very
traditional gender roles and lifestyles. They are
agriculturally based communities where a single parent
household is very rare. They tend to have large
families where the eldest man is the head of the
house. The Amish are very religious and model their
family values from the Bible..
Health Beliefs:
Believe sin is the cause of illness
Use holistic & natural remedies such as herbs and
religious rituals
Have little contact with healthcare professionals
Practice reflexology
Use a medley of herbs during pregnancy called 5-W
that is believed to promote wellness of the baby
Health Disparities:
Have a low health literacy
Due to avoidance of medical facilities, they traditionally don't
get vaccinated which increases their risk of getting a
communicable disease and spreading it to each other
They marry and have children with other Amish people in their
community which means that inbreeding is common. This causes
a lot of genetic disorders to appear, like Ellis-van Creveld
syndrome or cartilage-hair hypoplasia.
The youth participate in a ritual called Rumspringa where they
are allowed to leave the community and live life as a typical
American citizen. This ritual promotes risky health behavior in
youth like binge drinking, risky sexual behavior, drug
abuse, and can cause mental issues like depression.

3. Benefits of the Amish lifestyle?
High levels of physical
activity lead to lower
rates of obesity and
heart disease.
Amish tend to have low
levels of allergies and low
rates of asthma as well
as low cancer rates.
Their simple approach to life
leads to a relatively stress
free adulthood due to limits on
technology use, strong family
support, and emphasis on
religion.
Treatments
Natural healing herbs used in teas or other administered
methods
Reflexology (pressure points in the feet)
Chiropractors
Prefer midwives to assist women through pregnancy and
used for delivery

4. Roma (Gypsy) Population
Lifestyle
Romani people are another isolated, ethnocentric group of people. They
mostly associate only with other Roma people because they believe non-
romas are unclean. They are historically nomadic and travel in large groups.
They place a large emphasis on the family and extended families. They tend
to adopt the predominate religion of the country they are in but don't place
much importance in faith. Roma people live by a strict code of cleanliness,
respect, honor, and justice.
Health Beliefs
Follow a strict cleansing ritual about the ideas of Wuzho (pure) and Marime (impure)
where they clean the upper half of the body with a separate towel and soap than
the lower half of their body because the lower body secretions are believed to be
impure.
Believe Gadje (non-roma) are impure because they don't practice body separation.
Being fat and having good fortune are signs considered to show good health.
Older members of the family make all decisions, including medical ones.
Roma Americans avoid hospitals because they are "unclean" but if a member of the
clan is hospitalized, the whole clan is expected to be there to perform healing rituals.
A woman is believed to be impure through pregnancy
Diseases are categorized as either Roma or Gadje and some illnesses are believed to
be caused by spirits.

5. Health Disparities
Roma Americans are resistant to vaccinations so they tend to spread
disease.
Their diet is high in fats and sodium which causes hypertension, heart
disease, and other ailments.
Their closeness of living conditions promotes the spread of
communicable diseases, such as hepatitis.
Romani children have a higher risk of being born prematurely or with a
low birth weight.
Increased instance of consanguineous marriages has led to an increased
risk of birth defects.
Life expectancy is much lower than the average American. They are only
expected to live between 48 and 55 years.
They are not trusted or understood by outsiders so they experience
discrimination.
How to practice body separation
Wuzho (Pure) Marime (impure)

6. Arab & Middle Eastern
Populations
The Arab populations are family centered with a
heavy focus on their religion, which is usually
Muslim. Men and women are seen as equals but
women tend to be censored in the name of
modesty. They have very close familial
relationships which often includes extended family.
This population does not isolate themselves like the
other populations do but they do not fully
assimilate to the dominate culture either. Many
Arab-Americans came over to escape political
persecution in their own countries.
Lifestyle
Health Beliefs
Use western medicine along with
natural remedies like herbal teas, etc.
Believe bad thoughts toward someone
can cause them illness
Use of amulets and prayer
from Quran for alternative healing.
Consider illness to be punishment for
their sins
Place importance on hygiene and a
healthy diet
Use of henna to ward off evil

7. Health Disparities
Islamophobia has become very prevalent in
the U.S. after the 9/11 terrorist attacks
which have led to the discrimination of
Arabs.
Arabs who are refugees that were
displaced by war tend to have PTSD and
other mental issues.
Their principal of modesty makes it
difficult for doctors to treat patients of
the opposite gender.
Smoking habits have shown increased
rates of respiratory issues and lung
cancer.
Ramadan fasting can be dangerous for
some with poor health
Interesting Facts:
Arab people don't view nurses as health care professionals, they view them as helpers.
Nurses medical advice and suggestions are not taken seriously.
U.S. census says that there are approximately 1.9 million Arab Americans living in the
united states today but they believe this number to be under-reported due to bias
against Islamic cultures.
Muslims pray five times a day
Arabs accept food with their right hand only because their left hand is used for
cleaning up while using the restroom.
Orthodox muslims follow a strict no-pork diet so sometimes, their food must be
prepared a little differently.