(7 reviews) Author: Rachel E. Spector ISBN : 9780132840064 New from $47.99 Format: PDFThe eighth edition of this well-respected book continues to promote an awareness of the dimensions and complexities involved in caring for people from diverse cultural backgrounds. Completely revised and updated, CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN HEALTH AND ILLNESS examines the differences existing within North America by probing the health care system and consumers, and examples of traditional health/ HEALTH beliefs and practices among selected populations. An emphasis on the influences of recent social, political, and demographic changes helps to explore the issues and perceptions of health and illness today, while new introductory and capstone chapters help place material within perspective. An essential for any health-care professional, this book sets the standard for cultural perspectives and more importantly HEALTH–the balance of the person, both within one’s being–physical, mental, and spiritual–and in the outside world–natural, communal, and metaphysical. (Terms, such as HEALTH, are written this way to emphasize holistic meaning.)
- Paperback: 432 pages
- Publisher: Prentice Hall; 8 edition (August 18, 2012)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0132840065
- ISBN-13: 978-0132840064
- Product Dimensions: 1.1 x 5.8 x 8.8 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Cultural Diversity in Health and Illness PDF
There is some interesting information on health and illness in the first half of this book, but the cultural evaluations in the second half of the book are lacking depth. The book places too much emphasis on race and too little emphasis on ethnicity. If you are looking for a book on health and wellness this may be useful, but if you want to study cultural diversity, this may not work for you. The book is definitely missing many key cultures.
Example 1: In Chapter 12, the chapter on Hispanic populations, there is a table listing the 8 regions where people identify themselves as Hispanic and the corresponding percentages of the US Hispanic population made up by each of these groups. Only two of these cultures, Mexicans and Puerto Ricans, are discussed in any depth. This oversight excludes all of the Hispanics from Central America, South America, and other smaller Hispanic populations. It does make sense to review the Mexican Culture because that culture represents the largest portion of our Hispanic population in the US. However, Central Americans make up the 2nd largest % of the US Hispanic population, whereas the Puerto Ricans make up only 9.2% of the US Hispanic population. The arbitrary inclusion and exclusion of specific cultures may raise some concern.
Example 2: In Chapter 13, the chapter on White populations, there is a table listing only 7 of the countries where people identify themselves as white and the corresponding percentages of the US white population made up by each of these groups. There are many countries with substantial populations in the US that are absent from this break down.
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