Mortality rate
This paper will analyze the culture of African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos. Culture is the norms and beliefs that people have. Culture determines the social behaviour of a particular group of people in society. African Americans have a different culture from Hispanics/Latinos. The mortality rate is the death of a child before his, or she celebrates her first birthday. The mortality rate is measured as the number of infant death in every 1000 live births (Wojcik et al., 2019). There are various causes of mortality late, such as birth weight, congenital malformations, complications related to the maternal process and unintentional accidents, among many others. These are the leading causes of mortality rate between the two cultures. There is a need to address the causes of mortality rate to reduce the number of mortality deaths. In 2019, African American mortality rate was 8.4 per 1000 live births.
In contrast, that of Hispanics/Latinos was 5.0 per 1000 live births. This reflects that African American mortality rate is higher than that of Hispanics/Latinos (Côté-Arsenault et al., 2019). This difference can be attributed to access to quality medical care and the economic status of the two Cultures.
Life expectancy for males and females.
Life expectancy refers to how many years a person can hope and expect to live. Various factors influence life expectancy in any of the two cultures. These factors are gender, biological genetics, quality healthcare and its accessibility, lifestyle, and rate of crime, among others. These factors are crucial in life expectancy (Ryan et al., 2020). The life expectancy of all Americans is estimated to be 76.1 years old; however, Africa Americans’ life expectancy is 70.8 years old, and that of Hispanics/ Latinos is 77.7 years old (Andrasfay & Goldman, 2021). These differences in life expectancies are attributed to the factors stated above.
Leading causes of death
Both cultures share the same leading causes of death. However, there are preferences between the two cultures. Heart disease is among the leading causes of death in African Americans. African Americans are expected to have a high rate of blood pressure than Hispanic Latinos, which is a risk factor for heart disease. This causes a high death rate among African Americans. Another leading cause is cancer. Cancer is a very serious disease that is expensive to treat and manage. It causes severe damage to body organs and cells (Miller et al., 2021). Cancer is the second leading cause of death for African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos. The common types of cancer that African Americans suffer from are prostate, breast, cervical, and lung cancer. The risk factor for cancer is smoking, drinking and having an unhealthy lifestyle.
The third leading cause of death is stroke among Hispanics/ Latinos, while African American homicide is ranked higher than stroke. The majority of Hispanics/Latinos have died of a stroke. High blood pressure is a key risking factor for stroke. African Americans are known to have high blood pressure rates leading to stroke. The risk associated with stroke is diabetes and smoking, among others. The fourth leading cause is severe unintentional injuries. This is a leading cause among African Americans, but among Hispanics/Latinos, respiratory illness is ranked high than intentional injuries. The risk factors for intentional injuries are highway accidents and other major roads (Kamerow, 2020). The risk factor of fourth leading cause is alcohol, drug and substance abuse and lack of following rules and regulations while driving. The last leading cause of death is diabetes. Comparing African American with Hispanic, it is likely that African American experience diabetes more than Hispanics/Latinos.
However, these are not the specific causes of death for the cultures, as there are divergent causes. It does not necessarily mean that any death reported is due to these factors, but most of the leading causes are the ones discussed above.
The differences between the causes factors for death between the two cultures can be attributed to social, economic, lifestyles, and access to quality healthcare services. These factors greatly influence the leading causes of death for the two cultures.
Similarities and differences in cultural beliefs and practices.
Different cultures have different beliefs and practices, identifying them as either this or that culture. African Americans and Latinos have many similarities in their cultural beliefs and practices but also differences.
Similarities
Both cultures believe in values for family and community. The social structure comprises extended families, which are a very important aspect of the social structure. They embrace each other in the community and look out for each other. The community is composed of and shares similar values and beliefs.
Both cultures have religious beliefs which they follow and have much faith in them. They both feel devoted and show compassion for one another (Franklin, 2019). Church symbolizes peace, love and unity between the two cultures, and they attend for spiritual nourishment.
Music and dance are very key aspects of both cultures. They believe music and dance are ways of expressing oneself and enjoying life. Both cultures enjoy jazz and blues, among others, through which they express their values and instil them in generations.
Both cultures are minority groups in the United States and have faced racial discrimination in all aspects of life. Due to their suffering and oppression by a majority in the United States, they share a common history of oppression and believe in building team spirit for resilience.
Differences
The Hispanic culture believes in collectivism to achieve goals and objectives as a group, while African American believes in personal development and individualism. Furthermore, education is an important aspect of life for both cultures; however, African Americans believe in pursuing formal education, while Hispanic Latinos believe in skill-oriented education emphasizing practical skills and trading (Franklin, 2019). Another key difference is food. Mexico and South America influence Latinos/Hispanic cuisine, while African American cuisine is influenced by traditional food.
Another difference is language. African Americans speak English and their native vernacular English, while Hispanics speak English or English mixed with Spanish. These are some of the similarities and differences between the two cultures. Understanding that this is general information or generalization is critical, as individuals’ beliefs and practices can vary within a culture.
Strategies to address potential conflicts
The first strategy will be integrating and developing cultural competence. This allows people from different cultural backgrounds to interact and share cultural beliefs from other cultures. This enables different social groups to understand the cultural beliefs of others and appreciate the values and practices of others, and then integrate them into healthcare practices. Accommodating others is essential in healthcare services (Greene-Moton, & Minkler,2020). Western nurses/workers should be trained on cultural competencies to accommodate the cultural differences between them and African American and Hispanic Latinos. By accommodating these practices, they will understand and appreciate them and enable them to provide services without discrimination and on the preference of patients’ beliefs and practices.
Another key strategy that can be used is to ensure effective and open communication. Patients and healthcare providers should ensure effective and open communication to solve their potential conflicts in healthcare facilities. Western nurses/workers should ensure the environment is conducive and promotes open communication. This will enhance patient compliance as they can communicate effectively and develop a treatment plan that aligns with the patient’s cultural beliefs and practices, thereby achieving the overall goal of healthcare facilities.
Furthermore, collective responsibility between healthcare providers and the community. Building an effective relationship between the healthcare providers and the community. Healthcare providers from the community can enhance a deeper understanding of cultural beliefs and practices since they have an in-depth understanding of the cultural practices and beliefs of the community (Curtis et al., 2019). Western healthcare workers/nurses can work with community healthcare providers to understand the needs of patients from a cultural point of view. This will enhance a better understanding of the cultural beliefs and norms of African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos creating a conducive environment.
Develop a treatment plan that incorporates cultural practices. Healthcare services aim to ensure the well-being of members of the community. Creating a treatment plan that incorporates cultural practices can enhance effective treatment. Incorporating the cultural beliefs and practices of African American and Hispanic such as advice on nutrition and dietetics that accommodate the culture of their food, will ensure the treatment plan is effective.
Understanding and applying an empathy-based approach to treatment plans can also effectively ensure that Western healthcare providers understand and appreciate the cultural beliefs and norms of African American and Hispanic/Latinos (Greene-Moton, & Minkler,2020). Both cultures share historical injustices which they have experienced as minority groups. Both have experienced racial discrimination by majority groups in the United States. This experience can impact their interaction with Western health care providers resulting in ineffective collaboration. Therefore western nurses/workers should understand the historical injustice the African American and Hispanic/Latinos have experienced and create an enabling environment where they can express themselves and embrace treatment plans.
References
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