Evaluation of Leininger’s Theory of Culture Care Diversity and Universality Camille E. Dantzler Simmons College of Nursing Though not presently practicing, my long term goal is to provide primary care to the underserved rural population in my home state of West Virginia. Due to health disparities, this population is plagued by preventable disease. West Virginia is commonly referred to as the fattest state in the country. Along with Mississippi, it ranks number one for obesity prevalence in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2013). Along with obesity comes commonly associated comorbidities. Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, and various cancers contribute to increased rates of mortality which are also significantly higher than those of the United States as a whole (West Virginia Bureau of Public Health, West Virginia Health and Human Resources, 2012). Rates of preventable disease among the state’s minorities as well as reported cases of obesity among youth are higher than national prevalence (West Virginia Bureau of Public Health, West Virginia Health and Human Resources, 2012). Many factors are related to health disparities in this population. West Virginia is the only state fully seated within the Appalachian region of the United States. Regions within the state, especially more rural areas in the southernmost portion, have long been associated with poverty, lower levels of education, limited access to
Demographics and disease trends will influence health care delivery services in the future in many different ways. Not only will the current aging population affect the delivery of health care services because of its rapid growth, but also obesity. Obesity is one of the more serious problems facing our nation today, and will only get worse unless the implementation of programs to educate the public on the many health issues this condition can cause to prevent them from happening. Moreover, not only does the health care delivery system need to adapt in the future to provide quality care for
I consider myself to be a fairly traditional American white woman, with non-denominational Christian beliefs. My ethnicity is sort of a mixture of Irish, German, Native American and a few others, but my main cultural background is traditional American. I do not put a lot of emphasis on my ethnicity, because in my opinion and the opinion of many others as well, Caucasian American can be race and ethnicity. I celebrate traditional American holidays such as Christmas, Independence Day and Thanksgiving. I do eat traditional American foods, but I also love ethnic foods of all kinds. According to McKinney, James, Murray, Nelson and Ashwill (2013), “Belief in Jesus Christ as the son of God and the Messiah comprises the central core of Christianity” and “Study of biblical scripture; practicing faith, good works, and sacramental rites (e.g., baptism, communion, and others); and prayer are common among most Christian faiths” (p.44). I am non-denominational; however, I do believe this statement sums up the main core of my beliefs. I pray, I have been baptized, I believe in good deeds, and attending church. The only difference is that I do not believe that you must attend church or partake in communion to have a relationship with God; I believe that relationship is rather personal. Now in terms of American culture in the healthcare setting, Euromed Info Online indicates that Western industrialized societies such as the United States, which
“Nurses have a long and rich history of wanting to do the most good for the most people. Today, it is imperative that advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) continue that tradition by delivering care that improves the health of populations.” (Curley & Vitale, 2016). Along with other health care providers, APRNs individually share the responsibility of promoting more healthier lifestyles among his or her surrounding community. Over the course of the past several years, much needed attention has been focused towards population based health disparities and the impact thereof on our nation. In the pursuit of obtaining a healthier society, the U.S. government has designed and utilized a program presently titled HealthyPeople2020. This program
Obesity in America is real and profoundly alarming when you look at the major impact it has on our communities. Major health concerns like diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure cases are at an all time high. Specifically, the disparity between low-income urban inner cities in regards to obesity as compared to more upper class wealthier communities makes you take pause. This relates to my professional goals of going back into my community as an activist and organizer of issues related to my environment, like health and education.
Cultural diversity in the health care setting is increasing each year. Knowing how to care for patients of different religious and spiritual faiths is essential to providing high-quality, patient-centered care. The author of this paper will research three lesser-known religions; Taoism, Sikhism and Shamanism. Through this paper, she will provide a brief background on each of the three religions and present information regarding spiritual perspectives on healing, critical components of healing and health care considerations associated with each religion.
The classic definition for culture was proposed by Tylor (1871/1958) and still commonly cited: Culture is “that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, arts, morals, law, custom, and many other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society” (p. 1). This definition focuses on attributes that are acquired through growing up or living in a particular society, rather than through biological inheritance (Kottak, 2002). In Giger and Davidhizar’s (1991) Model for transcultural care, culture was defined as a patterned behavioral response that develops over time as a result of imprinting the mind through social and religious structures and intellectual and artistic manifestations.
Madeleine Leininger’s cultural care theory is one of the most influential modern day theories in nursing. Leininger describes her theory as one that is cultural sensitive that is tailored to address patients of different cultures, backgrounds, or origins. Leininger develops the cultural care theory due to the fact that she believes that nurses are caring for their patients as a one hat fits all, and not taking into consideration the patient 's background or their culture.
Research displays associable health behaviors in rural areas; “Rural adults are more likely than their urban counterparts to: smoke, abuse alcohol and other substances, be physically inactive, be obese, and have poor access to healthy foods. These poor health behaviors contribute to health disparities, such as disease incidence and lower life expectancies.” Cultural Care Connections, Rural Health (2015). These health behaviors are proven facts, which causes many acute and chronic problems in the rural community. The overflow of these problems without proper medical attention or resources, to endure these problems in the rural communities, are subjected to an increasing mortality rate for rural hospitals who experience these conditions.
The rural population is at great risk for poor physical, mental, and social health illness. Compared to the urban communities, there is a lack of equality in health care allocation due to a lack of resources, finances, and focus in the rural population. They are “more likely to report poor or fair health, having diabetes, having chronic disease, being obese, not engaging in health protective behaviors, and experiencing cost as a barrier to initiating or maintaining health care” (Teufel, Goffinet, Land, &
Nursing can also be considered a cultural group; whereby the role of a nurse within the healthcare settings is strongly influenced by cultural beliefs about the importance of caring for those who are ill (Rogers-Clark et al., 2005). It is essential to provide effective nursing care in making cultural sensitivity, where health beliefs and practices may vary from culture to culture (Chan and Yau, 2009). Singapore is a multicultural Asian country which consist of Chinese, Malay and Indian ethnicities (Naser et al., 2012). Therefore, nurses working in a multicultural healthcare setting, must show respect towards patient’s custom of practice in order to provide an appropriate care (Tung, 2010). On the other hand, one should not make assumptions based on the patient's responses about religious preferences.
Health in all cultures is an important aspect of life. A person’s cultural background, religion and/or beliefs, greatly influences a person’s health and their response to medical care (Spector, 2004). These diverse cultures guide decisions made in daily life; what food eaten, living arrangements made, medications taken and medical advice listened to. A nurse must be knowledgeable and respectful of these diverse cultures and understand their importance when providing care. This understanding helps to build a strong nurse/patient relationship, increasing patient compliance, which ensures positive outcomes are met. Patients who are satisfied
the return of the invitations, the proposed intervention implementation date will be in early October. Prior to implementation the involvement of stakeholders is important as their support will facilitate successful program implementation and not thwart efforts (Curly Cupp & Vitale. 2016, p.160), which will include principals, teachers, The Parent Teacher Association (PTA) president, school food service manager and board members. In an effort to attain buy-in from the stakeholders, the benefits of the program will be highlighted as well as the value of their participation to the program.
Obesity is a primary concern of the public health in the United States as a whole, as well as in the state of Texas. According to the Texas Medical Association (TMA), obesity and metabolic syndrome are listed as number two on their list of Public Health Priorities (Texas Medical Association, 2016). The three levels of government, national, state and local, are concerned with the high rates of obesity. All levels of government strive to work together to keep people as healthy as possible (“The Future of the Public’s Health in the 21st Century, 2003).
Care and culture are the key constructs that make up the Culture Care Theory. This theory differed from other nurses’ work or mindset because nurse leaders relied heavily up on the four metaparadigm concepts of person, environment, health, and nursing to explain nursing (McFarland and Wehbe-Alamah, 2015). Leininger realized that those four metaparadigm concepts were to limited in its scope regarding nursing and culture and care ideologies. Interestingly, care and culture were excluded from the metaparadigm. “It is not logical to use nursing to explain nursing” (McFarland and Wehbe-Alamah, 2015). That is definitely a contradiction in terms and represents scholarly research
Nearly 70 million Americans live in rural areas (Gorski, 2011). A rural area is “defined generally in terms of the geographic location and population density or the distance from or the time needed to commute to an urban center” (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2014, p. 390). Due to this geographic isolation, healthcare facilities are limited and healthcare practitioners are scarce (Gorski, 2011). Rural residents are characterized as poorer, underinsured or uninsured, with fewer years of education. Related to the lack of education, these residents do not engage in preventative practices to improve health. For example, they are more likely to smoke and drink alcohol and less likely to routinely exercise, which results in higher obesity rates as well as high cholesterol and high blood pressure (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2014). In order to effectively care for the rural community, it is imperative that the healthcare worker respect the rural culture. A fine line exists between the nurse and the rural resident, for the nurse must understand the rural culture and remember to be sensitive to the cultural differences. If the client senses a negative or judgmental attitude, then a lack of trust will develop. “Providers’ attitudes, insights, and knowledge about rural populations are important…In developing community health programs that are available, accessible, affordable, and appropriate, nurses must design strategies and implement interventions that mesh with a client’s