Mexican Americans are the largest Hispanic group in the United States, making up over 20 million people. They face discrimination in areas like education, jobs, and housing due to factors like skin color and language differences. Mexican Americans rely heavily on traditional beliefs and folk healing practices. Common illnesses treated include susto (fright illness) and empacho (digestive blockage). Nurses must understand a patient's culture to provide effective care free of ethnocentrism.

1. Mexican
Americans
Desiree Ferwalt
NUR 3393 Transcultural Nursing
20 November 2011

2. Englekirk and Marín (2011) states that
after the Mexican-American War in
1848 the U.S. annexed what is now the
current Southwestern region from
Mexico. This would include California,
Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, most of
Arizona and Colorado, and parts of
Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and
Wyoming. Mexicans residing in that
territory became members of the US.

3. Giger (2008) states that Mexican
Americans living in U.S. tend to be
economically segregated working class
group. They are often forced into low
paying day labor jobs. This group of
people are often discriminated in the
US through education, jobs, and
housing. Skin color, language
differences, and Spanish surnames
contribute to the discrimination
(p. 241)

4. Mexican Americans are
Americans of Mexican descent
•Language- Spanish, American English, minority speaks
Indigenous Mexican language
•Religion- Roman Catholic, minority is Protestant
•Race-Most Mexican Americans are the descendants of
the Indigenous Mexicans and/or Spaniards with
Europeans.
•Skin Color- persons with lighter skin color have more
Spanish ancestry and darker skinned person have more
Indian ancestry
•Politics-Hispanic community lean toward the Democratic
Party
•Family- traditional gender and family roles, patriarchal
head of house (Office of Minority Health & Health
Disparities , 2010)

5. • As of 2007, Mexican Americans make up 7.3%
of the United States' population with over
20,640,711 Americans listed as of Mexican
ancestry.
• Mexican Americans make up 58.5% of all
Hispanics and Latinos in the United States
• In 2008 there were approximately 7,000,000
undocumented Mexicans living in the United
States which if included in the count would
increase the US share to over 28% of the
world's Mexican origin population
• The U.S. border region contains six of the
eleven poorest U.S. metropolitan areas
(Giger, 2008, p.242)

6. List of top 10 states by Mexican-
American population percentage
State/Territory Population
Mexican-Americans (2010 Census) Percentage
• Texas • 7,951,193 •31.6
• California • 11,423,146 • 30.7
• New Mexico • 590,890 •28.7
• Arizona • 1,657,668 •25.9
• Nevada • 540,978 •20.0
• Colorado • 757,181 •15.1
• Illinois • 1,602,403 •12.5
• Oregon • 369,817 •9.7
• Idaho • 148,923 •9.5
• Utah • 258,905 •9.4
(Office of Minority Health &
Health Disparities , 2010)

7. US communities with high percentages of Mexican ancestry
The top 25 US communities with various Mexican American
populations are:
• San Elizario, Texas in El Paso • Fort Hancock, Texas 88.21%
99.00% • Calexico, California 87.72%
• Tornillo, Texas 87.20% • Somerton, Arizona 87.42%
• Lopezville, Texas 87.48% • Coachella, California 79.59%.
• Progreso, Texas 87.54% • San Benito, Texas 87.00%
• Cameron, Texas 90.79% • Huron, California 86.92%
• Presidio, Texas 89.92% • Parlier, California86.42%
• Alton, Texas 89.62% • Lost Hills, California 86.27%
• Hidalgo, Texas 89.43% • Mecca, California 20.49%
• Cactus, Texas 89.40% • Heidelburg, Texas 85.31%
• Penitas, Texas 89.37% • San Juan, Texas 84.00%
• Palmview, Texas 89.16% • Granger, Washington 83.94%
• Roma, Texas 88.76% • La Joya, Texas 83.92%
(Office of Minority Health &
Health Disparities , 2010)

8. Giger and Davidhizar’s Transcultural
Assessment Model
Culturally unique Individual 3. Use of Silence
1. Born in Mexico or • Are infrequent and brief
ancestors were from 4. Use of nonverbal
Mexico • Use hands to exaggerate
2. Race is a mix of Indian expression
and Spaniard heritage • Direct eye contact when
communicating
Communication • Tactile in relationships
1. voice quality • Nurses should touch
• Strong, resonant children on the head
when caring for them to
2. Pronunciation and prevent the “evil eye”
enunciation 5. Touch
• More than 50 different
dialects • Accepts touch without
difficulty

9. Giger and Davidhizar’s Transcultural
Assessment Model con’t
Space 3. Number of children
1. Degree of comfort • Families are large, useally
4 or more children
• Does not move when space
is invaded Time
2. Distance in conversation 1. Orientation to time
• 18 inches to 3 feet • Present-oriented
3. Definition of space 2. View of time
• Enjoys the closeness while • Social time
talking or visiting 3. Physiochemical reaction
Social Organization to time
1. Normal state of health • Puts a lot importance on
• Will vary from poor to
sleep
excellent • Arrive on “Latin time”
2. Marital status
• Divorce is uncommon

10. Giger and Davidhizar’s Transcultural
Assessment Model con’t
Environmental Control
1. Locus of Control
• External locus of control
2. Value orientation
• Believes in God
• Believes folk health, prayer,
and magic to affect change
Biological Variation
1. Skin color
• Natural tan to dark brown
2. Hair color and distribution
• Dark and coarse
(Giger, 2008, p.9-11)

11. Giger (2008) states Mexican
Americans rely frequently on
traditional medical beliefs and
practices instead of Modern
Western medicine to resolve
health problems (p. 256).

12. cultural beliefs of health and
illness
•Health is seen as holistic involving mind, body, and
spirit.
•Curanderismo describes the entire Mexican Folk system
of disease and healing. Curaneros are folk healers who
use their belief in God.
•Yerberos are root and herb doctors.
•Mexican American Folk Medicines include plants
(onion, garlic, aloe vera, cactus), precious stones (silver,
gold, copper), magical perfumes
•Other healers are Sobadores (massage therapists),
Brujos (Witches), and Espiritistas (Spiritualists).
(Englekirk and Marín, 2011)

13. Common Mexican American Folk
Illnesses:
• Empacho (food lodged • Ataques De Nervios
in digestive tract) (nervous attack)
• Mal Ojo (evil eye) • Nervios (nervous
• Caida de la Mollera breakdown)
(fallen fontanelle) • Penas (shame,
• Latido (anorexia or suffering)
hyperglycemia) • Dolor De Cerebro
• Bilis (suppressed anger) (occipital headache
• Susto (magical fright) with neck pain)
Englekirk and Marín (2011)

14. Giger (2008) states Mexican
Americans believe that many
diseases are hot and cold
imbalances. It is thought that the
illnesses are caused from
prolonged exposure to hot or cold.
The cure from these kinds of
illnesses is to use the opposite
quality of the disease (p. 254).

15. Hot-Cold conditions and their
corresponding treatment
Hot Conditions Cold Conditions
Fever liver problem Cancer Rheumatism
Infection ulcers Cold Stomach cramp
Diarrhea constipation Earache pneumonia
Kidney problem rashes Malaria joint pain
Sore throat skin issues Teething Headache
Cold Medicine to treat Hot Paralysis tuberculosis
Penicillin Tobacco Hot Medicine to treat Cold
Garlic Aspirin Orange flowers Linden
Vitamin Castor oil Sage Milk of Magnesia
Cinnamon Ginger root Bicarbonate of Soda
(Giger, 2008, p.255)

16. Folk Health Interventions
• Prayers • Relaxation techniques
• Incantations • Herbal teas
• use of incense • Baridas (sweeping the
• Massage body using special
• Chiropractic aromatic leaves and
branches
• use of ointments
• burning of candles
(Office of Minority Health & Health
Disparities , 2010)

17. Health Risk Factors
• Percent of men 18 years and over who currently
smoke: 19% (2007-2009)
• Percent of women 18 years and over who
currently smoke: 8.5% (2007-2009)
• Percent of men 20 years and over who are obese:
31% (2005-2008)
• Percent of women 20 years and over who are
obese: 43% (2005-2008)
• Percent of men 20 years and over with
hypertension: 18% (2005-2008)
• Percent of women 20 years and over with
hypertension: 19% (2005-2008)
(Office of Minority Health & Health
Disparities , 2010)

18. Factors that contribute to poor health
• Percent of persons all ages in fair or poor health is 9.5%
• language and cultural barriers
• No access to preventive care
• Large population movement
• poor environmental conditions (crowded substandard
city housing)
• Low education
• Undocumented aliens cannot get Medicaid and
Medicare
• In 2007, influenza vaccination coverage for Mexican
American was 35.5%
• Percent of persons under 65 years without health
insurance coverage are 37%
(Office of Minority Health & Health
Disparities , 2010)

19. Healthcare statistics
• Mexican American women are more than 2.3
times likely to have late or no prenatal care than
Caucasian women
• Mexican American women had the highest
incidence rate for cancers of the cervix
• HIV/AIDS death rate is 2.5 times higher for
Mexican American than Caucasian
• Mexican Americans had a higher prevalence of
overweight (77.3%) and obesity (30.4%) than
Caucasians
(Office of Minority Health & Health
Disparities , 2010)

20. Common Diseases that Mexican
American are Susceptible to
• Diabetes
• Hypertension
• Pernicious Anemia
• Communicable Diseases (TB, respiratory
infections, skin disorders, diarreaha)
• Hepatitis C
• Childhood Obesity
• HIV/AIDS
(Giger, 2008, p.260-262)

21. 10 Leading Causes of Death
Hispanic/Latino Population, U.S.,
2007
1. Heart Disease
2. Cancer
3. Unintentional injuries
4. Stroke
5. Diabetes
6. Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis
7. Chronic lower respiratory disease
8. Homicide
9. Certain conditions dealing with perinatal period
10. Influenza and pnuemonia
(Office of Minority Health & Health
Disparities , 2010)

22. When caring for a patient who doesn’t
speak English there are a few ways to
that can be done to relieve stressful
situation
• Friendly facial expression
• Facing the client
• Talk directly to the client
• Involve family in the care
• Use a interpreter
(Giger, 2008, p.246)

23. Englekirk and Marín (2011)
states one of the main issues
nurses face is ethnocentrism
(belief in the superiority of one's
own ethnic group)

24. Giger (2008) states Nurses who do
not understand the culture of their
clients are likely to be negative and
less effective in their care (p. 266).

25. Conclusion
• Understanding cultural values, diversity, and
beliefs will give better health care.
• Will increase cultural proficiency among
health care providers.
• Patients will be better satisfied with culturally
sensitive care.
• Can reduce any inconstancies in the health
care treatment.

26. References
Englekirk, A., & Marín, M. (2011, March 18). Mexican
American. In Countries and Their Cultures. Retrieved
November 19, 2011, from
http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Le-Pa/Mexican-
Americans.html
Giger, J.N. & Davidhizar, R.E. (2008). Transcultural Nursing:
Assessment & Intervention, (5th Ed). Mosby: St Louis
Office of Minority Health & Health Disparities . (2010).
Hispanic or Latino Populations. In CDC: Office of Minority
Health & Health Disparities . Retrieved November 17, 2011,
from http://www.cdc.gov/omhd/Populations/HL/HL.htm