Cultural Values of Latino Patients and Families

Posted by Marcia Carteret, M. Ed. on Mar 15, 2011 in Latino Cultures | 7 comments Failure to understand and respond appropriately to the normative cultural values of patients can have a variety of adverse clinical consequences: reduced participation in  preventive screenings, delayed immunizations, inaccurate histories, use of harmful remedies, non-compliance, and decreased satisfaction with care to name a few. A primary challenge in working with patients from different...
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The Importance of Familismo

Posted by Marcia Carteret, M. Ed. on Nov 3, 2010 in Culture-Specific Topics, Latino Cultures | 2 comments by Janine Young, MD— The importance of immediate and extended family ties are very important to the Latino community—otherwise known as familismo. The mother, father, grandparents, aunts and uncles may come to their children’s doctor visits, and all may have some say in how the child will be cared for. Grandmothers (la abuela), in particular, often play a strong role in how their...
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Clinical Pediatrics in the Mexican Immigrant Community

Posted by Marcia Carteret, M. Ed. on Nov 3, 2010 in Culture-Specific Topics, Latino Cultures, Special Topics | 0 comments by Janine Young, MD www.contemporarypediatrics.com Vol. 26, No. 2— The US continues to be a country of immigrants. As of 2006, roughly 37.5 million immigrants (documented and undocumented) were living in the US, accounting for 12.5% of the total population. Of these, 30% were from Mexico.1 These new immigrant families bring with them their language, culture, and religious beliefs. And they...
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Folk Illnesses and Remedies in Latino Communities

Posted by Marcia Carteret, M. Ed. on Oct 21, 2010 in Culture-Specific Topics, Latino Cultures | 1 comment What is a Folk Illness? Folk illnesses are health beliefs and practices shaped by the cultural conventions of a specific group of people. Folk illnesses (sometimes also referred to as lay health beliefs) have specific causes, preventions, and cures based on wider theories of illness (e.g., humoral, Ayurvedic, biomedical), but may also include local health beliefs and values not related to the...
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