Selected Patient Education Resources 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.
Studies have shown that television competes with other sources of human interaction—such as family, friends, church, and school—in helping young people develop values and form ideas about the world around them. Between the s and s, commercial television had a profound and wide-ranging impact on American society and culture.
It influenced the way that people think about such important social issues as race, gender, and class. It played an important role in the political process, particularly in shaping national election campaigns.
TV programs and commercials have also been mentioned as major factors contributing to increased American materialism a view that places more value on acquiring material possessions than on developing in other ways.
Finally, television helped to spread American culture around the world.
Racial minorities on TV Until the s, the majority of the people who appeared on American television programs were Caucasian white. Being white was presented as normal in all sorts of programs, including news, sports, entertainment, and advertisements.
The few minorities that did appear in TV programs tended to be presented as stereotypes generalized, usually negative images of a group of people.
For instance, African American actors often played roles as household servants, while Native Americans often appeared as warriors in Westerns. Some critics argue that outright racism unfair treatment of people because of their race was the reason that so few minorities appeared on television.
But television industry analysts offered several other explanations as well.
In the s and s, for instance, the broadcast networks tried to create programs that would attract a wide audience. Before research tools became available to gather information about the race and gender of people watching, network programmers assumed that the audience was made up mostly of white viewers.
They also assumed that many white viewers would not be interested in watching shows about minorities. In addition, the networks did not want to risk offending viewers—or potential advertisers—in the South who supported segregation the forced separation of people by race.
There were a few early TV shows that featured minorities. The popular situation comedy sitcom I Love Lucy, which aired from toco-starred comedian Lucille Ball — and her real-life husband, bandleader Desi Arnaz —who was Hispanic.
Even though the program attracted many of the top performers of that time, it was cancelled after one year because it failed to find a sponsor a company that pays to produce a program for advertising purposes.
A very popular early variety program, The Ed Sullivan Show, featured a number of black performers as guests.
Still, African Americans mostly appeared on TV in the role of entertainers. This situation slowly began to improve during the civil rights movement —75when African Americans fought to end segregation and gain equal rights in American society.
TV news programs provided extensive coverage of civil rights protests, which helped turn public opinion in favor of the cause of equality. As awareness of racial discrimination unfair treatment based on race increased, more social critics began complaining about the absence of minority characters on television.
They argued that positive portrayals of minority characters in TV programs could help increase the self-esteem of minority viewers, promote understanding, and improve race relations in the United States. Breaking the color barrier InAfrican American actor and comedian Bill Cosby — costarred as a detective on the popular series I Spy.
He won three Emmy Awards for his role.impact of early european contact 9 may impacts of early european contact leslutinsduphoenix.comg statement.
leslutinsduphoenix.com down of the Early Native American Tribes and Locations. leslutinsduphoenix.com Impact Loss of Life through the Spread of Diseases. Culture also influences nuances in a language such as accents and regional differences in dialects.
Music, stories and dances are other means of communication that a culture shapes. Cultural Adaptations.
In addition to affecting how people behave, culture influences how they adapt to an environment. Although many of the perceptions and fears of old stock Americans about new immigrants are rooted in ignorance and prejudice, the fears of many Americans about the future are not entirely irrational.
A new study out of the United Kingdom reinforces the influence that culture and societal attitudes can have on the health status of older adults.
Psychologists from the University of Kent used data from the European Social Survey to ask respondents, all age 70 or older, to self-rate their health.
A qualitative study examined the perceptions of doulas practicing in Washington State regarding the influence of cultural and community beliefs on immigrant women’s birth and perinatal care, as well as their own cultural beliefs and values that may affect their ability to work interculturally.
Influences on Perception. In today's society, the "crooked finger" is seen as a somewhat impolite hand gesture. In America and European countries, this is considered a sign of something good.
In Asian and Islamic countries, it is an insult. Compiled from data written by Jessica Tapman, Devin McClellan, & Brandy Sellers in.