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cultural variables such as socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, gender and sex roles, immigration and acculturation, poverty and deprivation, social network and social support, income, social cohesion impact the social health and belief in illness.

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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 Russian experience with medical practitioners has been an authoritarian relationship in which free exchange of information and open discussion was not usual. As a result, many Russian patients find it difficult to question a physician and to talk openly about medical concerns. Patients expect a paternalistic approach-the competent health care professional does not ask patients what they want to do, but tells them what to do. This reliance on physician expertise undermines a patient's motivation to learn more about self-care and preventive health behaviors.

Although Hispanics share a strong heritage that includes family and religion, each subgroup of the Hispanic population has distinct cultural beliefs and customs. Older family members and other relatives are respected and are often consulted on important matters involving health and illness. Fatalistic views are shared by many Hispanic patients who view illness as God's will or divine punishment brought about by previous or current sinful behavior. Hispanic patients may prefer to use home remedies and may consult a folk healer, known as a curandero.

Many African-Americans participate in a culture that centers on the importance of family and church. There are extended kinship bonds with grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, or individuals who are not biologically related but who play an important role in the family system. Usually, a key family member is consulted for important health-related decisions. The church is an important support system for many African-Americans.

Cultural aspects common to Native Americans usually include being oriented in the present and valuing cooperation. Native Americans also place great value on family and spiritual beliefs. They believe that a state of health exists when a person lives in total harmony with nature. Illness is viewed not as an alteration in a person's physiological state, but as an imbalance between the ill person and natural or supernatural forces. Native Americans may use a medicine man or woman, known as a shaman.

As can be seen, each ethnic group brings its own perspectives and values to the health care system, and many health care beliefs and health practices differ from those of the traditional American health care culture. Unfortunately, the expectation of many health care professionals has been that patients will conform to mainstream values. Such expectations have frequently created barriers to care that have been compounded by differences in language and education between patients and providers from different backgrounds.

Cultural differences affect patients' attitudes about medical care and their ability to understand, manage, and cope with the course of an illness, the meaning of a diagnosis, and the consequences of medical treatment. Patients and their families bring culture specific ideas and values related to concepts of health and illness, reporting of symptoms, expectations for how health care will be delivered, and beliefs concerning medication and treatments. In addition, culture specific values influence patient roles and expectations, how much information about illness and treatment is desired, how death and dying will be managed, bereavement patterns, gender and family roles, and processes for decision making.

Cross-cultural variations also exist within cultures. Strategies that you can use in working with patients from different cultures as displayed in Table 14.

Table 14

Strategies for Working With Patients In Cross-Cultural Settings

Learn about the cultural traditions of the patients you care for.

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.

SOURCE: Mc Laughlin, L., & Braun, K. (1998). „Asian and Pacific Islander cultural values: Considerations for health care decision-making." Health and Social Work, 23 (2), 116-126.

Doing a cultural assessment

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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.

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Physical Environment as an influence on health

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Physical Environment as an influence on health

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Physical Environment affects our health daily whether its from air quality or water quality. Knowing about physical environment is important because it can harm us in many ways.

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Social environment as an influence on health

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Social environment as an influence on health

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Social environment indicators such as socioeconomic, income, social positions measure the social health and illness of people in society.

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The Impact of Social and Cultural Environment on Health

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Health is determined by several factors including genetic inheritance, personal behaviors, access to quality health care, and the general external environment (such as the quality of air, water, and housing conditions). In addition, a growing body of research has documented associations between social and cultural factors and health (Berkman and Kawachi, 2000; Marmot and Wilkinson, 2006).

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Media can bring good and bad influence to people but mostly for children because children don't know what is appropriate or inappropriate things that they should follow. For example, it could bring goods news or helpful information that we might needed. On the other hand, media could cause mental effect by influence people to feel down or do terrible things to others. For example, violence, cyberbully, depression, and sleep depression, etc.

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Children and adolescents spend more time with media than they do in any other activity except for sleeping - an average of seven hours a day. The vast majority of young people have access to a bedroom television, computer, the Internet, a video-game console and a cell phone.

In a review article, " Health Effects of Media on Children and Adolescents," published in the April issue of Pediatrics (appearing online March 1), researchers review recent research on the effects of media on the health and well-being of children and adolescents. Research has found that media can influence children's beliefs and behaviors in terms of violence and aggression, sex, substance abuse, obesity and eating disorders. Heavy television viewing has been linked with attention-deficit disorder and diminished academic performance, as well as hypertension, asthma, sleep disorders, mood disorders, psychological distress and depression. Media can also be a positive influence and teach children empathy, tolerance toward people of other races and respect for their elders, as well as convey important public health messages.

Study authors provide recommendations for parents, health care practitioners, schools, the entertainment industry and the government to increase the benefits and reduce the harm that media can have.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit.

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Children and adolescents spend more time with media than they do in any other activity except for sleeping - an average of seven hours a day. The vast majority of young people have access to a bedroom television, computer, the Internet, a video-game console and a cell phone.

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Heredity is a huge influence on a persons health because if someone in your family has ever had a disease like cancer, diabetes, etc. then there is a chance of it being passed down to a family member.

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Although there are many possible causes of human disease, family history is often one of the strongest risk factors for common disease complexes such as cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, autoimmune disorders, and psychiatric illnesses. A person inherits a complete set of genes from each parent, as well as a vast array of cultural and socioeconomic experiences from his/her family.

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Behavior is how a person acts with the environment. Good behavior health is wearing sunscreen and replacing the batteries in the smoke detector. Bad behavior is staying at home and being inactive. If you develop a habit of working out on a daily basis and stay healthy,  you can avoid hereditary diseases such as diabetes and heart diseases

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Health-care professionals, patients, families, community leaders, and policy makers all struggle to understand interactions between health and behavior and to use that knowledge to improve the health status of individuals and populations. Health and behavior are related in myriad ways, yet those interactions are neither simple nor straight-forward.

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Health is influenced by the healthcare that is available around you. Factors that influence a persons healthcare is how easily accessible the healthcare facility is, how long it is open, and if the person has health insurance that will cover them.

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Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

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A collaboration among the Bloomberg School of Public Health, the School of Medicine, the School of Nursing and Johns Hopkins Community Physicians

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Since people nowadays are relying too much on technology, therefore it is consider to be one of the main topics that cause health issue for people nowadays because it causes physical and mental effect. For example, wreck your spine, strain your eyes, cause headache and anxiety, etc.

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Technology can be a beautiful thing. It connects us to others, it's super convenient and, if used mindfully, can even help us find a little bit of calm. But as the old adage goes, too much of anything can be bad.

It's no secret that a little unplugging can go a long way, yet we're spending more time than ever glued to our screens. But here's the sad reality: All that tech is taking a toll on our health. Need proof? Below is a breakdown of how technology affects our mental and physical well-being. Perhaps it's time to power down for a bit.

Your phone could cause blemishes.
Here's a gross fact: Our phones are actually teeming with bacteria (think about it, where don't we bring our devices?). And where are we putting that bacteria? Directly on our face.

Germs pile up on our phones thanks to our external environment, which could trigger acne or eczema outbreaks, Everyday Health reported. Luckily, the problem is easily fixed. Experts suggest cleaning and sterilizing your phone, as well as going hands-free whenever possible.

WiFi exposure may lower men's sperm count.
Laptops are extraordinarily convenient for comfort -- but men who work with them on their laps may be hurting their reproductive chances. One 2011 study found that men who were exposed to electromagnetic radiation from laptop WiFi for four hours had sperm with DNA damage and decreased motility.

And it's not just the computers. A recent meta-analysis of past studies, led by researchers at University of Exeter, U.K., suggests that men who store their phones in their pockets risk exposing themselves to radiation levels that may also lower sperm levels.

All that Googling can cause anxiety.
You've heard of hypochondriacs but what about cyberchondriacs? It sounds outlandish, but it does exist. The cause? An effort to self-diagnose a health problem you might be having. Experts suggest that searching for your symptoms online can result in some serious anxiety, Greatist reported.

Not only that, but constantly scrolling through your social networks isn't helping your anxiety either. One 2012 study found that excessive social media use may increase our stress levels. Yikes.

Staring at screens can mess with your sleep.
Before you shut down for the day, make sure to also shut down your phone and computer. Research shows that excessive tech use -- particularly right before bedtime -- can have an adverse impact on our sleep cycles thanks to the glowing light that's emitted from screens. This is especially true for young adults, who arguably need the most help when it comes to getting the proper amount of shuteye.

Loneliness and Facebook browsing are inextricably linked.
Previous research found that the popular social networking site can cause feelings of loneliness, but a recent study is suggesting a slight variation: Lonely people just turn to Facebook more often. Regardless of the research, experts conclude that this Internet paradox is a very real phenomenon. Our social networks are linked to feelings of loneliness, as well as a decrease in happiness and satisfaction -- and that's not exactly warm and fuzzy news.

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Sneaky Ways Technology Is Messing With Your Body And Mind

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Technology can be a beautiful thing. It connects us to others, it's super convenient and, if used mindfully, can even help us find a little bit of calm. But as the old adage goes, too much of anything can be bad.

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Joey Nguyen
Shyanne Nelson
Kim Tran
Thang Tran
Period 6