Cultural health hybrid: an exploration of changing health beliefs and attitudes among Hispanic and Hispanic American women
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Date
2013-04
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jhu
Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
Abstract
Using two focus groups with 8 Hispanic and 9 Hispanic American women, this study compared health beliefs and attitudes between Hispanic and American women. This study identified strategies that both groups of women use to negotiate health information from two distinct health cultures: traditional Hispanic culture and American clinical culture. Findings indicate that both Hispanic and Hispanic American women see health as having a physical and psychological component, see themselves as responsible for protecting their health, and practice preventive behaviors. However, Hispanic American women do not believe in culture-bound syndromes the way Hispanic women do, nor do Hispanic American women believe in a connection between culture-bound syndromes and chronic disease. Interestingly, both groups of women adapt to a clinical health culture in their own way. Hispanic women adopt clinical practices while maintaining their traditional practices. In contrast, Hispanic American women pick and choose practices from traditional and clinical health culture. This study proposes the theory of cultural health hybrid to examine changing health attitudes and beliefs in Hispanic and Hispanic American women.
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Keywords
Hybrid, Health, Hispanics