Health Perceptions

Megan Macoubray:

Health Perceptions

Global health can be very unknown and hard to understand because all around the globe are different cultural norms. These cultural norms deal with behavior, language, religion, education, and of course health. The difference in our culture can lead to the different ways in which we react to certain symptoms and eventually how we think about treatment. Another reason that global health can be problematic is because each culture believes that their passage of treatment is the best one. Most cultures will want to attempt to heal ‘their’ way before seeking outside assistance. This is because within cultures people are accustomed to specific events that lead to the way they think or act towards health problems. For example, in the Global Health readings by Nichter, we read, “in Cameroon, Ghana, and Nigeria, the presence of blood in the urine is associated with puberty and normal development among both adolescent boys and girls”(23). Whereas in America if you have blood in your urine, you call your doctor right away to see what is going on. This example shows how the health of a body can be seen differently just based on where you are from and what your culture is used to. These perceptions of what is normal shape the way we think about our own health based on the health of the people in our community.

After doing further research beyond the readings and film in class I found from the American Thoracic Society that, “health perceptions are subjective ratings by the affected individual of his or her health status. Some people perceive themselves as healthy despite suffering from one or more chronic diseases, while others perceive themselves as ill when no objective evidence of disease can be found”. This shows that not only can ones culture or what one is accustomed to tell what symptoms or diseases are, but each individual also has their own perception of what is healthy that may not always match what their culture believes. Each individual has their own perceptions, ideas, and thoughts about health that are relatively comparative to their culture but may also be different. With the many personalized ideas of what being healthy is, can complicate things in terms of discovering what the best form of treatment is. Given that health is subjective to the individual, the definition of health for that individual can vary as well. Nichter also writes that, “in South India, humoral ideas about the body are modeled on observations of the seasons, the movement of the winds, and the behavior of plants and animals. People anticipate bodily changes and illnesses that are commonly associated with seasonal changes in heat and cold, rainfall and dryness”(27). With that being said, and the above information, health can be based on something so near to us such as weather. From our perceptions of culture, to our own unique ideas of health, to how the world turns in determining the weather can tell some people what their body might be feeling. According to this Nichter quote, it is not only what we see happening to our body, but how we think we are going to feel based on the circumstances of that specific day that can affect our perceptions of our bodily symptoms and what is considered normal for our body.

The image I chose is a little girl lying in a hospital bed while the doctor examines her. This image stood out to me because since this is such a young girl, it is probably her parents’ perception of health that brought her into the doctor’s office. Also this image strictly depicts western medicine, which is culturally acceptable and normal for a typical white family. How the doctor is dressed in his white coat is what us westerners expect to see when seeking medical help whereas in India, according to the film we watched in class, the doctors dress differently, which to them is culturally acceptable and normal. Another thing that stood out to me is the tool that he is using to listen to her breath. Western medicine uses many tools and treatments that stop pain but don’t necessarily heal it. In the film we watched in class, the doctor takes his patients pulse with just his hands while listening carefully to the sounds he hears. These perceptions of doctors also differ culturally. Not only does the reactions to the differently bodily functions change for each individual but also what is considered normal when seeking help changes as well. This image does a good job relating the quotes I chose because it shows what is culturally acceptable in terms of western medicine based on peoples perceptions of health. While, the movie we watched in class showed what was culturally acceptable for doctors and the types of treatment in India that is based on different perceptions from different cultures. As we can clearly see, both are very different yet effective as well.

 

The final idea of health differs based on individualistic and cultural perceptions of what we see as normal. We then therefore seek certain treatments based on what we are used to or what our culture deems appropriate or normal. This idea changes with the various people and various cultures around the world and affects global health because people’s perceptions around the globe are very different when thinking about health.

Megan Macoubray