African American Care

[CametoitlateTexan]

Received an assignment today to report on African American health beliefs and practices as they relate to patient care. Anyone have any thoughts on resources or how to provide culturally competent care ?

Thanks in advance for your help!

[kgkarma]

I don't know what your point is. The lady in your report was as you described an African immigrant. Your co-worker was simply mistaken in describing her as American since it was likely that she was not yet an American citizen.

The white South African is indeed African-American.

The physician you describe would also be African-American assuming he is an American citizen. I don't know how the number of languages he spoke or his perfect accent is relevant.

The term African-American does not necessarily exclude people from Haiti or other parts of the Caribbean since they too are of African descent, a fact that many people for some reason are not aware of. However most often they are described as Haitian-American or Jamaican-American or Cuban-American, etc.

It's really quite simple I don't know why people try to make it complicated.

Thank You.

[pickledpepperRN]

When we attended a group meeting to choose our new benefits we then had to fill out the form which included African American as "race". Hispanic was also under "race" as was "non hispanic white".

A colleague checked "other" and was chastised by the HR rep. She was told, "You are African American".

Her answer, "I am not American. I am here to work for two years then go home to Africa."

It does get silly.

[TrickieTam]

You know, i've seen the "non-hispanic white" boxes and always wondered what it meant. And what exactly is Caucasian? Its another name for White, right? Okay, I'm getting a headache now, I'm gonna walk away.

[nicholrwalker]

As a black person, here are some things that are culturally relevant to providing health care to African-Americans.

1. Direct eye contact may be interpreted as rude

2. Person may seek home remedies or witch doctor before seeking professional help

3. Due to matriarchal family structures, person may seek advice from a trusted older female relative before seeking professional help

4. High fat, high sodium diet is commonly consumed. There's a preference for fried foods

5. Personal touch is perfectly acceptable among close friends and relatives, but is offensive among strangers and acquaintances

6. There's a tendency to be present-oriented and take the day as it comes. Person might be late to appointments since punctuality isn't stressed

As a black person these generalizations would be offense to me in my care...No eye contact a big no no among myself and other blacks. Be cautious in generalizing African-American culture on paper.:) :)

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

As a black person these generalizations would be offense to me in my care...No eye contact a big no no among myself and other blacks. Be cautious in generalizing African-American culture on paper.:) :)

I am simply repeating the content that is written in the 2 cultural issues chapters of my nursing textbooks.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

i don't know what your point is. the lady in your report was as you described an african immigrant. the white south african is indeed african-american.

the physician you describe would also be african-american assuming he is an american citizen. i don't know how the number of languages he spoke or his perfect accent is relevant.

i'm missing your point. the lady from africa who spoke no english was african -- nigerian to be precise. we don't know her immigration status, nor do we care. my point was that my coworker was calling her "african american" based only on the color of her skin.

the physician, born and raised in kenya, educated at oxford and in the us to study surgery with every intention of returning to africa was also african. he had no intention of remaining in the us. i suppose he could technically be called "african-british" since he had dual citizenship, but in no way was he african american either. (unless you're going entirely on the color of his skin.)

the brand new us citizen, born and raised in south africa with white skin is african american. (unless you count the color of her skin.)

ruby (hoping to be clearer now)

[admorn03]

I personally do not prefer to be called an African-American only because I am not from Africa. I am a Negro/Black-Amercian. My ethinic background is of an African desecnt. But for me personally I am an American plan and simply put, I just happen to have an African ancestry.

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

When we attended a group meeting to choose our new benefits we then had to fill out the form which included African American as "race". Hispanic was also under "race" as was "non hispanic white".

A colleague checked "other" and was chastised by the HR rep. She was told, "You are African American".

Her answer, "I am not American. I am here to work for two years then go home to Africa."

It does get silly.

I always refuse to check those "race" boxes.

Interesting thread. Ruby - I enjoyed your post - see what happens when we assume things. Your co-worker who assumed the patient was African American is kind of funny in a sad way.

My grandmother was born in Arkansas (she was caucasian) and she had lots of those same tendencies . .. . eating dirt was good for morning sickness. She had lots of home remedies for illness. Fried food was front and center - made the best fried chicken.:) She did expect you to look her in the eye. She didn't trust doctors. She was punctual.

I'll tell you who the folks are who are always late - farmers!!! They have their own timeclock and it doesn't coincide with a real clock.

steph

[May_baby]

I skipped over a ton of posts so forgive me if its already been said:

I have noticed that a large number of the Black/African/African-American patients I worked with considered prayer to be a central factor in their health. (Not a generalization, but an observation.) I think this is a cultural phenomena on a moderate scale, even for those that did not regularly attend services of any kind.

When I worked L&D I supported a number of moms during very stressful labors and occasionally emergent c-sections. I would offer as much information as was appropriate about next steps in care, etc., but the most helpful thing I found was asking if the patient wanted to pray. Most often I would ask one of the older women in the room to say the prayer.

The same scenario went for my work on an orthopedic surgery floor. Some patients really wanted prayer to be a part of their healing process.

I have experienced this in a number of different cultures and I feel that it boils down to a belief in "God's will" and one's health. The locus of control in these scenarios is shifted. The implications of locus of control on health education and self-care are important to consider.

[carolinapooh, BSN, RN]

You know, i've seen the "non-hispanic white" boxes and always wondered what it meant. And what exactly is Caucasian? Its another name for White, right? Okay, I'm getting a headache now, I'm gonna walk away.

Caucasian references someone who hails from the Caucus region of what I believe is Asia, somewhere in or near the former Soviet republics.

My guess is it came about because the region borders with China. So the people from Caucasia would more than likely be white, with a more European look than the Chinese.

[supermo]

caucasian references someone who hails from the caucus region of what i believe is asia, somewhere in or near the former soviet republics.

my guess is it came about because the region borders with china. so the people from caucasia would more than likely be white, with a more european look than the chinese.

just a quick lesson in physical anthropology-

>>by limiting the criteria to such traits as skin pigmentation, color and form of hair, shape of head, stature, and form of nose, most anthropologists historically agreed on the existence of three relatively distinct groups: the caucasoid (caucasion), the mongoloid, and the negroid.

the caucasoid, found in europe, n africa, and the middle east to n india, is characterized as pale reddish white to olive brown in skin color, of medium to tall stature, with a long or broad head form. the hair is light blond to dark brown in color, of a fine texture, and straight or wavy. the color of the eyes is light blue to dark brown and the nose bridge is usually high.

the mongoloid race, including most peoples of e asia and the indigenous peoples of the americas, has been described as saffron to yellow or reddish brown in skin color, of medium stature, with a broad head form. the hair is dark, straight, and coorifice; body hair is sporifice. the eyes are black to dark brown. the epicanthic fold, imparting an almond shape to the eye, is common, and the nose bridge is usually low or medium.

the negroid race is characterized by brown to brown-black skin, usually a long head form, varying stature, and thick, everted lips. the hair is dark and coorifice, usually kinky. the eyes are dark, the nose bridge low, and the nostrils broad. to the negroid race belong the peoples of africa south of the sahara, the pygmy groups of indonesia, and the inhabitants of new guinea and melanesia.

>>caucasian does retain a certain currency in american english, but it is used almost exclusively—and erroneously—to mean “white” or “european” rather than “belonging to the caucasoid racial group,” a group that includes a variety of peoples generally considered to be nonwhite. this ambiguity, along with the growing aversion among many people to the racial terminology of earlier anthropologists, suggests that caucasian may soon go the way of the -oid words and disappear even from local police blotters.

>>in the united states, it is currently used primarily as a distinction loosely based on skin color alone for a group commonly refered to as whites, as defined by the american government and census bureau. in the british isles, "caucasian" follows the north american definition, but in continental europe, "caucasian" currently refers almost exclusively to people who are from the caucasus.

but for me personally i am an american plan and simply put, i just happen to have an african ancestry

:yeahthat:

i don't want anyone to slap a label on me. those of us whose families have been here for hundreds of years are a hodge-podge of cultures and races. i have european ancestors, that i'm pretty sure of because i've traced one little branch of my family tree back to 1522 when they landed here. what has happened to the bloodline along the way? heck if i know!

i have lived in the south my entire life. when i was growing up there were white kids, black kids, and oriental kids. i was asked "what are you?" as an adult (by someone from up north). i was taken aback. what could they mean? i had never identified myself as a _____-american anything. i was born in charlotte, nc. i'm an american. simple.

do i think that honoring your heritage is important? absolutely. but slapping a cultural label on a phemonenonally diverse race is not the way to do it. i believe that someone who wants to honor their heritage will do so. they will learn about it and teach it to their children. i choose not to use the labels african-american, italian-american, or irish-american (unless they are indeed _____-american) and i have clearly stated to my children why.

i feel passionately that we need to come together as americans, not separate ourselves further with labels. call it my soapbox. i'm just trying to raise the next generation of southern americans. singlehandedly-- i've got 5 of them! :rotfl: :rotfl:

thank you, next!

super mo

[zacarias, ASN, RN]

Interesting thread. Everyday in my life I am shocked by the ethnocentrism I see around me as if it were the first time I encountered such ignorance. Fortunately I live downtown in a very progressive city or it could be worse.

Side note: I went to employee health the other day to get the annual respiratory fit test for N-95 masks. There were plain other masks and I asked who used those. The EH nurse then says, "These are other masks that are good for orientals because of their nose." I was shocked because this is an intelligent woman who works in the public health arena. Shame on me for assuming she would socially conscious!