The African-American Culture and Medicine - Essay Sample

According to the U.S Bureau of Census, the nation has an estimated population of 325 million people. This large population has primarily resulted from immigration by foreigners. The U.S Census Bureau reports that for every 33 seconds, a new foreigner migrates to the country despite efforts to close the borders from refugees and immigrants (Anderson, 2015). Following the immigration of diverse people in the U.S, it has become one of the most varied countries, culturally and is commonly referred to as a "melting point" because of the different cultures which have contributed to different flavors. My essay will, therefore, assess the African-American culture relative to healthcare initiatives in the U.S.

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The people of color in the U.S use African American Vernacular English and their main religion is Christianity. Almost eight in every ten African-Americans are Christians. They have a preference for fried foods popularly known as "soul foods." Also, they use life-sustaining methods to try to prevent death, which, in most cases, are costly. These methods, in the end, have minimal chances of positive outcomes. They bury their dead. The African-Americans generally lack formal employment, and thus, readily engage in acts of violence, drug use, and prostitution (Mtambuzi, 2016).

Further, African-Americans consider the use of home remedies in health care issues. The use of traditional healthcare methods is largely contributed by living with grandparents, education, and geographic region. Some home remedies practiced by African-Americans include the use of herbal medicines, chiropractic medicine, consulting traditional healers, and exercise (Murray, 2015). Moreover, people of color face numerous challenges in the healthcare department comprising of discrimination, medical mistrust, poor communication, and race discordance. These barriers result from a lack of treatment for the supposed illness and wrong prescriptions.

In improving the health care outcome of the African-Americans, I would develop a system that electronically records the medical history of all individuals seeking medical attention. This will significantly help in determining the trend of one's health. I would also involve all the health agencies and stakeholders in eliminating the barriers that affect equal healthcare treatment among the races (Wagner, Velasco-Mondragon, & Noonan, 2016).

In conclusion, the African-American culture is becoming more popular in the U.S. This has been dramatically evidenced by the election of an African president in the United States and the emergence of celebrities in different fields. African culture is also among the most celebrated and unique cultures in the world. However, challenges in the U.S health sector has prompted the people of color to develop less effective culturally-related home remedies. Health agencies should, therefore, establish effective measures to provide equal treatment among all American cultures.

References

Anderson, M. (2015). A rising share of the U.S Black population is foreign-born. Pew Research Center, 9.

Mtambuzi, T. (2016). African American Culture. Journal of Psychological Issues in Organizational Culture, 6(4), 7-17.

Murray, T. M. (2015, October). Trust in African Americans' healthcare experiences. In Nursing forum (Vol. 50, No. 4, pp. 285-292).

Noonan, A. S., Velasco-Mondragon, H. E., & Wagner, F. A. (2016). Improving the health of African Americans in the USA: an overdue opportunity for social justice. Public health reviews, 37(1), 12.