Whaley argues that ethnicity/race is often misused as a variable in epidemiological research, which can contribute to stereotypes and health disparities. He outlines 3 issues with current approaches: 1) overemphasizing genetic differences between ethnic/racial groups ignores socioeconomic factors; 2) focusing on individual risk ignores social conditions impacting population health; 3) failing to consider the cultural dimensions of ethnicity/race leads to misrepresentations of ethnic/racial groups as inherently unhealthy. Whaley suggests epidemiologists should pay more attention to socioeconomic factors and culture to avoid unintentionally exacerbating health disparities. However, the author notes alternatives to using individual risk factors are lacking as long as measuring ethnicity/race
Check this BSN Capstone paper samples to see how to write it right. For more information you can visit site . https://www.capstonepaper.net/our-capstone-papers/capstone-nursing-paper-writing-services/
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In 1989, the Havasupai Tribe asked an anthropologist at Arizona State University for help in figuring out whether genetics might be contributing to its high rate of diabetes mellitus. The anthropologist recruited a geneticist (who was also interested in schizophrenia) to lead the study.
The rest of the story is disputed. Was only diabetes research mentioned when members of the tribe allowed ASU investigators to collect blood samples or did the Havasupai understand that other questions could be studied when they provided consent for research on “the causes of behavioral/medical disorders”? The researchers determined that the genetic link to diabetes found in another tribe did not exist among the Havasupai, but other ASU researchers who used the samples published papers about alcoholism, mental illness and the tribe’s migration from Asia (thus contradicting the tribe’s core beliefs about its origins).
After seven years of litigation, the suit brought by the tribe in 2003 was finally settled with ASU apologizing, paying $700,000 to 41 of the Havasupai, returning the blood specimens to the tribe, and agreeing to prevent any further research based on information derived from the materials.
This forum will explore such issues as:
What was the meaning of the consent that the Havasupai provided?
What should subjects be told about future research with anonymized samples? What can we tell them?
What are the interests of the tribe (distinct from its members’ interests) and how can and should they be protected?
What are the implications of the ASU-Havasupai case for physician-investigators conducting community-based research in a diverse urban setting like Los Angeles?
Check this BSN Capstone paper samples to see how to write it right. For more information you can visit site . https://www.capstonepaper.net/our-capstone-papers/capstone-nursing-paper-writing-services/
Just take a look at this rn capstone project example, you can use this example for writing yours .For more samples visit . https://www.capstonepaper.net/our-capstone-papers/capstone-nursing-paper-writing-services/
In 1989, the Havasupai Tribe asked an anthropologist at Arizona State University for help in figuring out whether genetics might be contributing to its high rate of diabetes mellitus. The anthropologist recruited a geneticist (who was also interested in schizophrenia) to lead the study.
The rest of the story is disputed. Was only diabetes research mentioned when members of the tribe allowed ASU investigators to collect blood samples or did the Havasupai understand that other questions could be studied when they provided consent for research on “the causes of behavioral/medical disorders”? The researchers determined that the genetic link to diabetes found in another tribe did not exist among the Havasupai, but other ASU researchers who used the samples published papers about alcoholism, mental illness and the tribe’s migration from Asia (thus contradicting the tribe’s core beliefs about its origins).
After seven years of litigation, the suit brought by the tribe in 2003 was finally settled with ASU apologizing, paying $700,000 to 41 of the Havasupai, returning the blood specimens to the tribe, and agreeing to prevent any further research based on information derived from the materials.
This forum will explore such issues as:
What was the meaning of the consent that the Havasupai provided?
What should subjects be told about future research with anonymized samples? What can we tell them?
What are the interests of the tribe (distinct from its members’ interests) and how can and should they be protected?
What are the implications of the ASU-Havasupai case for physician-investigators conducting community-based research in a diverse urban setting like Los Angeles?
Racism Has Adverse Health Effects, New Study By DR. BILL J. RELEFORD, D.P.M. Over recent years there has been a remarkable increase in scientific research looking at the various ways racism adversely affects health.
At the end of this session, the students shall be able to, Define Cause
Define Association
Define Correlation
Types of association
Additional criteria for judging causality
Differentiate between association and causation
End-of-life ethics: An ecological approachHael Journal
El presente artículo explora la evolución de la Ética Occidental desde un modelo
paternalista a un modelo que enfatiza la autonomía individual. El artículo sostiene
que, a medida que se definen los límites de la autonomía, nace un modelo ecológico-
social de la ética al final de la vida que es más congruente con los valores culturales
y espirituales de Occidente.
Racism Has Adverse Health Effects, New Study By DR. BILL J. RELEFORD, D.P.M. Over recent years there has been a remarkable increase in scientific research looking at the various ways racism adversely affects health.
At the end of this session, the students shall be able to, Define Cause
Define Association
Define Correlation
Types of association
Additional criteria for judging causality
Differentiate between association and causation
End-of-life ethics: An ecological approachHael Journal
El presente artículo explora la evolución de la Ética Occidental desde un modelo
paternalista a un modelo que enfatiza la autonomía individual. El artículo sostiene
que, a medida que se definen los límites de la autonomía, nace un modelo ecológico-
social de la ética al final de la vida que es más congruente con los valores culturales
y espirituales de Occidente.
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Running head CULTURAL INCOMPETENCE IN NURSING .docxjoellemurphey
Running head: CULTURAL INCOMPETENCE IN NURSING
CULTURAL INCOMPETENCE IN NURSING12
Literature Review: Cultural Incompetence in Nursing
Bettina Vargas
Kaplan University
Literature Review: Cultural Incompetence in NursingComment by Tracy Towne: Use citations to support yoru statements so the reader knows it is not just your opinion
In healthcare, cultural incompetence impedes the delivery of quality care at the global, national and healthcare organizational level. In the United States, the minority disproportionate access of healthcare is mainly due to cultural incompetence in nursing and so are the increasing health issues they face, such as high rates of diseases and deaths. At the practicum site, Coral Gables Nursing and Rehabilitation, the effect of cultural incompetence in reference to the delivering poor quality care to a culturally diverse patient population is evident. With this in mind, the focus of this literature review is to provide insight on the trends of cultural incompetence, explore theories used to examine cultural incompetence, gaps in the pre-existing literature and solutions to cultural incompetence. This will help to contextual cultural incompetence and find lasting solutions for eradicating cultural incompetence and prioritizing cultural competence.
Trends
Cultural incompetence in nursing finds its roots in the nursing education and training. According to Bednarz, Schim, & Doorenbos (2010), as the general population records increased diversity, so do the nursing classroom where the minorities are enrolling in nursing education at a higher rate. This increases the need to focus on diversity in nursing education to nurture cultural competent nursing professionals. However, cultural incompetence among the teaching staff in terms of the inability to counter diversity barriers make it difficult to teach a diverse classroom and impart students with cultural competence. These barriers emerge from values and common attitudes held by nursing education and culture such as avoiding unwanted discrimination and the Golden Rule, which is “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (para. 9). As Hassouneh (2013) indicate, the effect of such barriers, is “unconscious incompetence” as well intentioned faculties are unable to recognize realities, including the fact that each student is unique and deserves unique treatment, thus generating more barriers towards instilling students with cultural competence. The nursing education and training lacks uniformity in accommodating the needs of diverse students. Lack of efficiency in cross-cultural communication, both in written and spoken form aggravates this. Besides, nursing education has no profound way of bringing the different cultures, jargon and professional languages that the students and the faculty possess together to create coherence and increasingly enable the nurses and the faculty to understand each other. The effect is a learning environme ...
22CHAPTER 2 Cultural CompetencyAchieving cultural .docxrobert345678
22
CHAPTER
2 Cultural Competency
Achieving cultural competence is a learning process that
requires self-awareness, reflective practice, and knowl-
edge of core cultural issues. It involves recognizing one’s
own culture, values, and biases and using effective patient-
centered communication skills. A culturally competent
healthcare provider adapts to the unique needs of patients
of backgrounds and cultures that differ from his or her
own. This adaptability, coupled with a genuine curiosity
about a patient’s beliefs and values, lay the foundation for
a trusting patient-provider relationship.
A Definition of Culture
Culture, in its broadest sense, reflects the whole of human
behavior, including ideas and attitudes, ways of relating to
one another, manners of speaking, and the material products
of physical effort, ingenuity, and imagination. Language is
a part of culture. So, too, are the abstract systems of belief,
etiquette, law, morals, entertainment, and education. Within
the cultural whole, different populations may exist in groups
and subgroups. Each group is identified by a particular
body of shared traits (e.g., a particular art, ethos, or belief;
or a particular behavioral pattern) and is rather dynamic
in its evolving accommodations with internal and external
influences. Any individual may belong to more than one
group or subgroup, such as ethnic origin, religion, gender,
sexual orientation, occupation, and profession.
Distinguishing Physical Characteristics
The use of physical characteristics (e.g., gender or skin
color) to distinguish a cultural group or subgroup is inap-
propriate. There is a significant difference between distin-
guishing cultural characteristics and distinguishing physical
characteristics. Do not confuse the physical with the cultural
or allow the physical to symbolize the cultural. To assume
homogeneity in the beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors of all
individuals in a particular group leads to misunderstandings
about the individual. The stereotype, a fixed image of any
group that denies the potential of originality or individuality
within the group, must be rejected. People can and do
respond differently to the same stimuli. Stereotyping occurs
through two cognitive phases. In the first phase, a stereotype
becomes activated when an individual is categorized into
a social group. When this occurs, the beliefs and feelings
(prejudices) come to mind about what members of that
particular group are like. Over time, this first phase occurs
without effort or awareness. In the second phase, people
use these activated beliefs and feelings when they interact
with the individual, even when they explicitly deny these
stereotypes. Multiple studies have shown that healthcare
providers activate these implicit stereotypes, or unconscious
biases, when communicating with and providing care to
minority patients (Stone and Moskowitz, 2011). With this
in mind, you can begin learning cult.
Running head CULTURAL SENSITVITY1CULTURAL SENSITVITY2.docxsusanschei
Running head: CULTURAL SENSITVITY1
CULTURAL SENSITVITY2
Cultural Sensitivity
Name
Institution
Cultural Sensitivity
Introduction
Cultural sensitivity refers to the awareness as well as the sensitivity to culture and other practices. Cultural sensitivity can encompass examining different cultures and how they should be accurately approached in the health care. It also includes how to communicate according to within the health care setting. Cultural sensitivity is important area because it can impact the way people work in the health care facilities. It also encompasses valuing differences so as harassment and discrimination, either intended or not, do not happen. Culture is a fundamental and complex concept with consist of broad aspects of people in the health care setting (Campinha-Bacote, 2003). It includes the concepts of sexual orientation, gender, faith, age, disability, race, ethnicity, profession and socioeconomic status. Cultural sensitivity stems from this understanding in that; it is must encompass interpersonal skill as well as the knowledge that will allow the providers of health care, appreciate, understand, and work with individuals from different cultures other than theirs. It also consists of acceptance and awareness of the people’s cultural differences, knowledge, self-awareness of the cultures of the patient and adapting to the skills. Many cultural groups, including lesbian and gay people, individuals with disabilities, lower socio-economic groups and ethnic minorities, for example, African-Americans (Campinha-Bacote, 2003). Cultural sensitivity is considered one of the reasons peoples do not access quality health care services because people are not aware as well as understand the effects attached to one’s culture and how it may be perceived by others. An individual's culture should not appear to be dominant in the place of work.
Healthcare Disparities and How they Relate to Cultural Sensitivity in the Healthcare Setting
Health care disparities, by definition, refer to the differences in health as well as healthcare between population groups. It typically involves a higher burden of illness, mortality experienced in the health care setting, disabilities, and injury by one population group about another. Moreover, it refers to the differences between groups in the health care facilities regarding provision of care services, its access, and quality given. This issue are related to the people’s cultural sensitivity in that the issue surrounds this concept are based on socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, age, and disability status. Similarly, cultural insensitivity arises from disparities that in return causes care limit as well as continued improvement in overall quality of cares (Campinha-Bacote, 2003). Health care disparities can be exacerbated by looking at some things that comprise specific health conditions, provider biases, differences in access to care, poor patient-provider comm ...
Defining Mental Health Within a Transcultural Nursing Perspective.docxvickeryr87
Defining Mental Health Within a Transcultural Nursing Perspective
The World Health Organization (WHO) (2007) proposed: “There is no health without mental health” and the influential organization incorporated mental well-being in their definition of health. According to WHO, “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (p. 1). WHO further specified that mental health is “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community” (p. 1), and that this understanding of mental health can be interpreted “across cultures” (p. 1). For example, in the Rural Healthy People 2010 Report, survey results of state and local rural leaders indicated that mental health and mental disorders are the fourth most often identified rural health priority (Gamm & Hutchison, 2003). Taking into consideration the WHO definition of mental health, a definition of mental illness would then include one or more of the following: a lack of a sense of well-being in which the individual does not realize his or her own disabilities, is not able to cope with the normal stresses of life, is not able to work productively and fruitfully, and is not able to make a contribution to his or her community. It is important to remember there is a continuum of mental health on one end and mental illness on the extreme other end. An individual can fall on one end of the continuum or the other, or anywhere in between. Individuals’ and communities’ cultural beliefs and values about mental health and mental illness can influence one’s placement on the continuum, as well. It is a daunting task to know all there is to know about each cultural group that mental health nurses care for in their daily practice. Leininger (1991; Leininger & McFarland, 2002) in Culture Care Diversity and Universality: A Theory of Nursing, theorized the importance of identifying what is common and universal among cultures, while at the same time understanding there is individual diversity within cultures. Diversity for transcultural mental health nurses would encompass not only culture and ethnicity, but also gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, physical abilities or disabilities, religious beliefs, and political beliefs or other ideologies. Figure 10-1 shows a transcultural nurse working on promoting health and well-being with a patient from a culture different from her own. In this chapter on Transcultural Perspectives in Mental Health Nursing, patterns of values, beliefs, and practices for mental health care are presented and can be used as one “tool” in caring for patients, families, and communities from diverse cultural groups. This is different from simplistic overgeneralizations that can lead to stereotyping a particular culture. Stereotyping can also lead to .
Running Head SOCIOLOGY IN NURSING 1 SOCIOLOGY IN NURSING .docxtodd521
Running Head: SOCIOLOGY IN NURSING
1
SOCIOLOGY IN NURSING
2
Sociology in nursing: A look from different perspectives
Name
Institution
Introduction
Health literacy is the acquisition and application of knowledge to daily practices for the improvement of the general health of an individual as well as the community. This influences the response to symptoms of illness, approach to treatment and preventive measures. While it may seem like common knowledge, the difference in the cultural and social background comes into play during the stated health literacy skills. Nurses are tasked with the provision of elementary care to culturally diverse communities and thus necessitating cultural competency.
Different concepts exist with regard to cultural composition and diversity in the community under evaluation. Singleton & Krause (2009) identify these to include: Magico-religious, biomedical and deterministic concepts. These concepts are always evolving with arising situations. Regular training on cultural competence is recommended as it is considered a threat to patients (Kaihlanen, Hietapakka & Heponiemi, 2019). This paper will look at nursing from different sociology perspectives to demonstrate the need for training.
Health literacy from sociological perspectives
Functionalist perspective
Health concepts are shared among a group of people sharing in other aspects of life as well. This is a source of continuity in identity recognized from doing things in a certain way. This is well demonstrated in Mayhew (2018), where an initial visit to a health facility, the nurse provides treatment options, which is met by indecisiveness, which turns around on the second visit following consultation with family members on the best course of action (Mayhew, 2018) for the ailing family member. The consultation gives the young mother confidence and a sense of unity in the family due to their collectivist approach. The institution of marriage is revered as well as nursing, as the mother takes time to understand all that pertains to the provided options.
Conflict perspective
Cultural diversity presents different approaches to decision making on health issues. Despite expert knowledge, a nurse must operate under ethical codes by respecting the patient's autonomy. This means that the decision reached, and failure thereof, must be upheld. For instance, a magico- religious culture may bar ailing members from procuring blood transfusions, even though their condition may only be helped by one. A nurse, while offering this option to them, can only do so much but respect this culture.
Conflict may also arise when actions taken in an emergency situation, maybe in opposition to patient beliefs, such as first aid to the opposite sex.
Symbolic interactionism perspective
This perspective demonstrates the difference in dialects and jargon used by different societies. Nursing uses professional language and jargon, which patients may not decipher. Equally, nurses are fac.
Running Head SOCIOLOGY IN NURSING 1 SOCIOLOGY IN NURSING .docxjeanettehully
Running Head: SOCIOLOGY IN NURSING
1
SOCIOLOGY IN NURSING
2
Sociology in nursing: A look from different perspectives
Name
Institution
Introduction
Health literacy is the acquisition and application of knowledge to daily practices for the improvement of the general health of an individual as well as the community. This influences the response to symptoms of illness, approach to treatment and preventive measures. While it may seem like common knowledge, the difference in the cultural and social background comes into play during the stated health literacy skills. Nurses are tasked with the provision of elementary care to culturally diverse communities and thus necessitating cultural competency.
Different concepts exist with regard to cultural composition and diversity in the community under evaluation. Singleton & Krause (2009) identify these to include: Magico-religious, biomedical and deterministic concepts. These concepts are always evolving with arising situations. Regular training on cultural competence is recommended as it is considered a threat to patients (Kaihlanen, Hietapakka & Heponiemi, 2019). This paper will look at nursing from different sociology perspectives to demonstrate the need for training.
Health literacy from sociological perspectives
Functionalist perspective
Health concepts are shared among a group of people sharing in other aspects of life as well. This is a source of continuity in identity recognized from doing things in a certain way. This is well demonstrated in Mayhew (2018), where an initial visit to a health facility, the nurse provides treatment options, which is met by indecisiveness, which turns around on the second visit following consultation with family members on the best course of action (Mayhew, 2018) for the ailing family member. The consultation gives the young mother confidence and a sense of unity in the family due to their collectivist approach. The institution of marriage is revered as well as nursing, as the mother takes time to understand all that pertains to the provided options.
Conflict perspective
Cultural diversity presents different approaches to decision making on health issues. Despite expert knowledge, a nurse must operate under ethical codes by respecting the patient's autonomy. This means that the decision reached, and failure thereof, must be upheld. For instance, a magico- religious culture may bar ailing members from procuring blood transfusions, even though their condition may only be helped by one. A nurse, while offering this option to them, can only do so much but respect this culture.
Conflict may also arise when actions taken in an emergency situation, maybe in opposition to patient beliefs, such as first aid to the opposite sex.
Symbolic interactionism perspective
This perspective demonstrates the difference in dialects and jargon used by different societies. Nursing uses professional language and jargon, which patients may not decipher. Equally, nurses are fac ...
Towards a Critical Health Equity Research Stance: Why Epistemology and Method...Jim Bloyd, DrPH, MPH
Qualitative methods are not intrinsically progressive. Methods are simply tools to conduct research. Epistemology, the justification of knowledge, shapes methodology and methods, and thus is a vital starting point for a critical health equity research stance, regardless of whether the methods are qualitative, quantitative, or mixed. In line with this premise, I address four themes in this commentary. First, I criticize the ubiquitous and uncritical use of the term health disparities in U.S. public health. Next, I advocate for the increased use of qualitative methodologies—namely, photovoice and critical ethnography— that, pursuant to critical approaches, prioritize dismantling social–structural inequities as a prerequisite to health equity. Thereafter, I discuss epistemological stance and its influence on all aspects of the research process. Finally, I highlight my critical discourse analysis HIV prevention research based on individual interviews and focus groups with Black men, as an example of a critical health equity research approach.
How culture influences health beliefsAll cultures have systems o.docxwellesleyterresa
How culture influences health beliefs
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. The extent to which patients perceive patient education as having cultural relevance for them can have a profound effect on their reception to information provided and their willingness to use it. Western industrialized societies such as the United States, which see disease as a result of natural scientific phenomena, advocate medical treatments that combat microorganisms or use sophisticated technology to diagnose and treat disease. Other societies believe that illness is the result of supernatural phenomena and promote prayer or other spiritual interventions that counter the presumed disfavor of powerful forces.Cultural issues play a major role in patient compliance. One study showed that a group of Cambodian adults with minimal formal education made considerable efforts to comply with therapy but did so in a manner consistent with their underlying understanding of how medicines and the body work.
Asians/Pacific Islanders are a large ethnic group in the United States. There are several important cultural beliefs among Asians and Pacific Islanders that nurses should be aware of. The extended family has significant influence, and the oldest male in the family is often the decision maker and spokesperson. The interests and honor of the family are more important than those of individual family members. Older family members are respected, and their authority is often unquestioned. Among Asian cultures, maintaining harmony is an important value; therefore, there is a strong emphasis on avoiding conflict and direct confrontation. Due to respect for authority, disagreement with the recommendations of health care professionals is avoided. However, lack of disagreement does not indicate that the patient and family agree with or will follow treatment recommendations. Among Chinese patients, because the behavior of the individual reflects on the family, mental illness or any behavior that indicates lack of self-control may produce shame and guilt. As a result, Chinese patients may be reluctant to discuss symptoms of mental illness or depression.
Some sub-populations of cultures, such as those from India and Pakistan, are reluctant to accept a diagnosis of severe emotional illness or mental retardation because it severely reduces the chances of other members of the family getting married. In Vietnamese culture, mystical beliefs explain physical and mental illness. Health is viewed as the result of a harmonious balance between the poles of hot and cold that govern bodily functions. Vietnamese don’t readily accept Western mental health counseling and interventions, particularly when self-disclosure is expected. However, it is possible to accept assistance if trust has been gained.
Russian immigrants frequently view U.S. medical care with a degree of mistrust. The Russia ...
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Similar to Review of ethnicity and race in epidemiology (20)
Neighborhood walking tours for physicians in-training
Review of ethnicity and race in epidemiology
1. Anthony Valdez
Dr. Mary Scoggin
Anthropology 410
Review of Arthur L. Whaley’s Ethnicity/Race, Ethics, and Epidemiology
Whaley, Arthur L. "Ethnicity/race, Ethics, and Epidemiology." Journal of the National Medical Association,
95.8 (2003): 736-742.
A number of authors have contributed to the use of ethnicity/race as an etiologic quantity in
medical research. Despite great contention, ethnicity/race is a much-studied variable in epidemiology,
and epidemiologists particularly agree that using these guidelines is beneficial to the overall health of
certain minority groups. Arthur L. Whaley’s article, Ethnicity/Race, Ethics, and Epidemiology, argues that
because there is little consensus about what self-reported ethnicity/race represents, the racial
disparities reported are biased and incorrect and contribute to stereotypes known as “race medicine.”
Whaley explains that researchers have failed to establish guidelines to use ethnicity/race
appropriately in epidemiological research. Whaley outlines his article in 3 easy to follow categories. He
attempts to make clear the limitations on ethnicity/race that underline the genetic and socioeconomic
scopes, how cultural magnitudes facilitates understanding of race differences in health-related
outcomes, and deliberates analyses in health status of ethnic groups to European Americans from and
ethical standpoint. Furthermore, he continues to say that lack of attention to the cultural perspective
encourages the current discourse and that cultural ideologies of individualism and racism weaken the
validity of epidemiologic research in health promotion and disease prevention.
In the first major category he talks about genetic vs. socioeconomic explanations for the use of
ethnicity/race. Currently, it is widely accepted that some diseases attack disproportionately in some
ethnic/racial groups; however, the explanations for these differences are a matter of debate. Whaley
2. explains that race continues to be a factor even in socioeconomic status when race should not matter.
Some epidemiologists believe that the reason race still exists is because race has some sort of genetic
basis. I agree with Whaley when he explains that this mindset “epitomizes the prevailing view of
ethnicity/race in the field of epidemiology as either a proxy measure of socioeconomic factors or an
expression of genotypic differences between racial groups.” I believe, as do Whaley, that this current
underdeveloped discourse explains the genetic differences that physician incorrectly push for. One
explanation Whaley emphasizes that explains this dichotomous thinking in epidemiology is the
identification of risk factors at the individual level.
Whaley proposes that emphasizing individual risk factors (i.e. genes) has too many assumptions
for it to be validated. He thinks that using an individual approach creates limitations. One argument he
formulates is paying attention to individual risk factors ignores the social conditions that impact
population health. Although I agree with his argument to a point, I believe that concentrating on
individual risk factors at the genetic level is a better alternative to the current discourse. He continues to
say that the reason why epidemiologists concentrate on the individual, is because of the current
ideology of individualism that dominates the American culture, and that goes into the next category on
how cultural magnitudes facilitates understanding of race differences.
According to Whaley, “individualism, pertinent to the current discussion involves a normative or
value orientation that emphasizes individual ideology over group interests. Whaley believes that this
ethical value and ideology dominates the current medical practices. He also states that “individual
freedom and responsibility are organizing themes in health promotion and disease prevention.”
Currently, the misuse of ethnicity/race in epidemiologic research is one of the causes of racial disparities
in healthcare. Although I agree with Whaley that concentrating on individual risk factors does not take
into account the social conditions one lives, I fail to see the alternative.
3. One other thing Whaley touches on is how culture is divided into two components, heritage and
adaptations with most epidemiologists focusing on the latter. Epidemiologists fail to realize that these
two construct interact with each other a concept that is drilled into physical anthropologists from the
begging. Whaley argues that when researchers emphasize heritage, they minimize cultural contributions
to the interpretations of racial disparities in health-related outcomes. As a result, ethnic/racial groups
are misrepresented as being overall unhealthy, opposed to having unhealthy behaviors that everybody
has. I feel that epidemiology has become too science based, with few anthropologists contributing to
the conversation. Whaley believes that an ignorant view on cultural dimensions and how ethnicity/race
is used culturally is one of the driving forces of health disparities, and I would have to agree with him.
Whaley suggests that epidemiologists do harm when they provide genetic explanations explicitly
or implicitly, for racial disparities in health-related outcomes. I tend to agree with him, however,
ethnicity/race is a cultural construct and up for individual interpretation. Until epidemiologist s can
create a unified non-biased way of measuring ethnicity/race, we should stick to individualized
healthcare, a concept that Whaley is against. However, if the alternative is epidemiologists unknowingly
contributing to the current health disparities, I will stick to individual factors.