Cultural diversity in health & illness / Rachel E. Spector.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 343-363) and index.

unit I. Cultural foundations -- 1. Cultural heritage and history -- National standards for culturally and linguistically appropriate services in health care -- CultureCare -- Heritage consistency -- Acculturation themes -- Ethnocultural life trajectories -- Commingling variables -- Cultural conflict -- Cultural phenomena affecting health -- 2. Diversity -- Population : census 2000 -- Immigration -- Poverty -- 3. Health and illness -- Health -- Illness -- unit II. Health domains -- 4. Health traditions -- Health and illness -- Health traditions model -- Health protection -- Health/Health care choices -- Folk medicine -- Health/Health care philosophies -- 5. Healing traditions -- Healing -- Ancient forms of healing -- Religion and healing -- Healing and today's beliefs -- Ancient rituals related to the life cycle -- 6. Familial health traditions -- Familial health/Health traditions -- Consciousness raising -- 7. Health care delivery and issues -- Trends in development of the health care system -- Health care reform -- Common problems in health care delivery -- Pathways to health services -- Medicine as an institution of social control -- The health care provider's culture -- unit III. Heath and illness panoramas -- 8. Health and illness in the American Indian and Alaska native population -- Background -- Traditional definitions of health and illness -- Traditional methods of healing -- Current heath care problems -- The Indian health service -- 9. Health and illness in the Asian population -- Background -- Traditional definitions of health and illness -- Traditional methods of health maintenance and protection -- Traditional methods of health restoration -- Current health problems -- 10. Health and illness in the Black population -- Background -- Traditional definitions of health and illness -- Traditional methods of health maintenance and protection -- Traditional methods of health restoration -- Current health problems -- 11. Health and illness in the Hispanic population -- Background -- Mexicans -- Puerto Ricans -- 12. Health and illness in the white population -- Background -- Italian Americans -- German Americans -- Polish Americans -- Epilogue -- Appendix A. Selected key terms related to cultural diversity in health and illness -- Appendix B. Suggested course outline -- Appendix C. Suggested course activities -- Appendix D. Heritage assessment tool -- Appendix E. Quick guide for CulturalCare -- Appendix F. Data resources -- Appendix G. Networks : selected health-related organizations -- Appendix H. Folklife centers.

"Written for all health care providers, this text promotes awareness of the dimensions and complexities involved in caring for people from culturally diverse backgrounds. The author through discussions of her own experiences, shows how cultural heritage can affect delivery and acceptance of health care and how professionals, when interacting with their clients, need to be aware of these issues in order to deliver safe and professional care. Traditional and alternative health care beliefs and practices from Asian American, African American, Hispanic, and American Indian perspectives are represented."--Jacket.