Health Beliefs and Practices

HEAL TH BELIEFS AND PRACTICES
Student: Rajinder Kaur

Student No: 821-332-236'
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Date Submitted:
October 10,2012
NURS 160: Health Assessment

Professor:
Nazlin Harji
Humber Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning~
INTRODUCTION
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Health had always been an issue of great concern to the mankind. The
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definition of health had been changing from time to time depending on the economic,
social, literacy, technological and scientific advancement. My current health belief is .
promoted by the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion (WHO, 1986) (Canadian
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Fundamentals of Nursing - Patricia A. Potter, Anne Grn-fin Perry)' Inspiteof scientific

medicine and pathological approach, the geographic social customs and cultural beliefs
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have a big influence on the people regarding health beliefs and practices. My personal
health practice is a combination of scientific medicine and use of herbs and spices as a
home remedy. However, if we are well acquainted with the cultural health beliefs of the
people of various backgrounds, as nurse it enables us to develop a relation of
understanding and trust with our cli:ts.
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HEALTH BELIEFS AND PRACTICES
HEALTH
Historically, many methods, beliefs and practices developed to treat diseases
Illness. Physical, mental, and spiritual health had been the components of health since
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ages, and they are true even today. Influenced by my ethnicity, I define health as a
disease-free body and peaceful mind. Unfortunately due to many reasons the state and
the society paid little attention to maintain a good social environment.
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The definition of
health which best fits my personal belief is Lalonde Report which shifted emphasis from
medical to behavioral approach (Canadian Fundamentals of Nursing - Patricia A Potter,
Anne Griffin Perryj ;
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My current health belief is promoted by Ottawa Chart~Health
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Promotion
It identifies health as peace, shelter, education, food, income, a stable
ecosystem, social justice and equity. It laid the responsibility for health on society. The
watershed document produced by the charter was translated into more than 40 languages.
(Canadian Fundamentals of Nursing - Patricia A Potter, Anne Griffin Perryl" I evaluate ~
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myself to be a healthy person, I take care of my health by using my cultural and ethnic
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beliefs, and moreover, I live in a country that provides good biomedical care and good
social environment.
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DIFFERENT CULTURAL HEALTH BELIEFS

My cultural beliefs and practices help me in maintaining my health. My
approach towards the maintenance of health is scientific and home remedial. For some
health problems like cold,
cough, sore throat, I use some herbs and spices which help me
in getting cured. I believe that no matter whatever kind of food we eat, if we know
it's food value and thanks the Nature for providing it to us, it works effectively on the
body. To improve my personal health practice, I would take responsibility to
maintain a healthy body by exercising, creating good social environment around myself
practicing spirituality, and respecting the whole mankind. At the same time I would take
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advantage of scientific medicine wh~er
never needed.
Every geography has its own health beliefs. My friend Chinyere is from
Nigeria, and she tells that in her culture when people fall sick, they try to get well by their
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natural body strength. It is believed that if any disease inflicts the body, the immune
system helps in fighting against it. In some cases people use herbs to get cured and pray
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to God for recovery. Having a big body is a sign of health.

Health beliefs according to the geographic location get inbuilt in our nature.
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I come from India which has a very old civilization, where science of Ayurveda, Yoga
was developed by the scholars and the intellectuals of the time. Therefore people from
Indian background immediately go for herbal or spice-made home remedy when they fall
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sick. Having a lean body is considered to be fit and healthy. Hence, we all have different
beliefs about health but our common goal is to be healthy.
HEALTH BELIEFS AND NURSING PRACTICE

Canada is a land of immigrants. Canadian diversity gives us opportunity to
gain knowledge of various cultures. It can be helpful in nursing profession when dealing
with clients of different backgrounds.
It can help a nurse in understanding a clients

~
needs, notions, beliefs and providing him or her proper required things. The nurse can
communicate with client freely and effectively, and they both can understand each other
and build a trust between each other. In this way a nursecan monitor a client's progress
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...
in getting cured very well and good results can yield out of that. Based on the beliefs the
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client's family can be educated for certain areas which are related directly to the client.
Knowledge of different health beliefs helps the nurses in not assuming things on
their own. An understanding
medical approach.
relationship between a client and a nurse results in good
CONCLUSION
The following of our own health beliefs helps us in taking care of ourselves
and by knowing people's health beliefs we help them in feeling well and getting cured.
By getting aware about the community we live in, the social environment becomes
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healthy and happy. Awareness and professionalism reflects in our actions.
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REFERENCES
1 Canadian Fundamentals of Nursing - Patricia A. Potter, Anne Griffin Perry

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HEAL TH BELIEFS AND PRACTICES

Student: Rajinder Kaur

NURS 160: Health Assessment

Humber Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning~

HEAL TH BELIEFS AND PRACTICES

Fundamentals of Nursing - Patricia A. Potter, Anne Grn-fin Perry)' Inspiteof scientific

HEALTH BELIEFS AND PRACTICES

My current health belief is promoted by Ottawa Chart~Health

It identifies health as peace, shelter, education, food, income, a stable

HEALTH BELIEFS AND PRACTICES

DIFFERENT CULTURAL HEALTH BELIEFS

advantage of scientific medicine wh~er

to God for recovery. Having a big body is a sign of health.

HEAL TH BELIEFS AND PRACTICES

HEALTH BELIEFS AND NURSING PRACTICE

It can help a nurse in understanding a clients

relationship between a client and a nurse results in good

HEALTH BELIEFS AND PRACTICES

healthy and happy. Awareness and professionalism reflects in our actions.

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