Mexican-American Culture

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One of Healthy People 2020 overarching goals is to achieve health equity, eliminate health disparities and improve the health of all groups (U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services [DHHS], 2010). In order to help achieve that goal, U.S. health professionals must be knowledgeable of and sensitive to the beliefs and practices of the various cultures that make up our country. Lipson (1996) defined culture and conveyed, Culture…is a system of symbols that is shared, learned and passed on through generations of a social group. Culture mediates between human beings and chaos; it influences what people perceive and guides people’s interactions with each other. It is a process rather than a static entity and it changes overtime. As nurses, it is important to assess and treat each person or family with a distinct…show more content…
The social organization of the Mexican family usually demonstrates the nuclear family model and it values the familism principle, in which the family assumes a position of ascendance over individual’s interests. It is common for extended family to live in close proximity of each other and be actively involved in all aspects of the family, including healthcare. The Mexican culture places high regard and value toward older maternal figures (mothers, grandmothers, and aunts) in the family. While more Mexican women are working outside of the home, their main role in the family is to care for the husband and children, and preserve the culture. Mexican immigrant women that live far from home and away from family create social networks and find other immigrant women to seek support and they care for each other reciprocally (Birkhead &Callister, 2002). There is a moral obligation for the women to share the work of caring for the children and the housework with other Mexican women of the family or community (Berry,

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