4.2: Cultural Factors Affecting Health and Disease
In order to improve the health behaviors of the community, cultural factors affecting health behavior and health care services need to be clearly recognized [ 12 , 13 ].
The individuals’ beliefs about health, attitudes and behaviors, past experiences, treatment practices, in short their culture, play a vital role in improving health, preventing and treating diseases [ 14 ].
Cultural variables can be motivational factors in health-disease relationships, [ 8 ].
Cultural factors/variables can be listed as in the following list
- Socioeconomic status
- Family pattern
- Gender roles and responsibilities
- Marriage patterns
- Sexual behavior
- Preventive patterns
- Population policy
- Pregnancy and birth practices
- Body
- Nutrition
- Dressing/wearing
- Personal hygiene
- Housing arrangements
- General health regulations
- Professions
- Religion
- Habits
- Culture-induced stress
- Status of immigrants
- Substance use
- Leisure time habits of
- Pets and birds
- Self-healing strategies and therapies [ 8 ].