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TOPIC. Culture, health benliefs, attitudes, and behaviors of many Jewish people.
PURPOSE. To examine the influence of culture on creating health belief systems.
SOURCES. Published literature.
CONCLUSIONS. Culture plays a role in one's response to illness and may play a role in the development of disease such as cancer.
Search terms: Cancer, health beliefs and behaviours, Jewish culture
Culture can be defined as encompassing learned beliefs and behaviors that are shared by a group. Culture also influences how the individual perceives and shapes his or her world (Galanti, 1991). No culture is pure, however, and societies are inevitably heterogeneous, with numerous subcultures. Subcultures are defined in terms of education, religion, sociocultural factors, and shared expectations and beliefs. The values and attitudes deemed important within a culture are transmitted from one generation to the next. Health and illness are important concepts in all cultures, and attitudes toward these are culturally laden. The identification of beliefs and attitudes that characterize a given culture is a complex process that requires examining the boundaries that distinguish those within a culture from those outside it (Sensky, 1996).
Culture may play a role in a person's understanding of disease etiology, illness, and treatment (Turner, 1996). An essential principle in developing an understanding of a person's beliefs is to try to understand the world through that person's eyes. When one makes a conscientious effort to apprehend another's reality, caring begins to takes place (Balswick, 1971; Sensky, 1996). The person seeking care for an illness and his or her healthcare provider may have different perceptions and understanding of the illness-differences that may inhibit proper treatment. Therefore, it is imperative that the healthcare provider consider the patient's culture and perceptions in every clinical encounter.
This paper examines cultural and spiritual factors that create the traditional health belief systems of many Jewish people. It illustrates the influence that culture has on creating health belief systems and care-seeking and illnessrelated behaviors. Intense concern with health is a 2,000year-old characteristic of people raised in the Jewish culture (Patai, 1997). Jewish culture provides a rich illustration of the roles of family, community, and religion as they pertain to physical and mental health beliefs of any ethnic group.
The three major Jewish communities are the Ashkenazi, the Oriental,...