Implications of Korean Culture on Health

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Patterns of Health Risk
Korean nutrition
Emphasis on Family and Kinship
Health Beliefs
Issues around Health Promotion
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Culture has a big implication in health care provision. Generally, culture encompasses the beliefs, values, customs and traditions of a given community and it is not discriminatory on health practices either. Culture therefore determines the pre-disposure to certain diseases or beliefs about certain health practices. For instance, some communities have been known to decline certain health procedures on the ground of customary practices because it may bring bad luck or are not acceptable in a their culture. For this reason, it is important that health care practitioners understand the implications of culture on the health well being of individuals. This study will therefore explore the health implications of Korean culture on different health aspects like pain, taking medications, dietary restrictions and the likes.

The Korean-American population is among the fastest growing race group in America’s Asian community because of the string of immigration in the 1800s and subsequent importation of laborers to the Hawaiian plantations in the 1900s. Koreans are now among the highest immigrant population in America (in the top five) together with other Asian immigrant groups like the Vietnamese, Chinese, Philippines and the likes (Shin, 2010).

Considering the American health care patient group is largely constituted of the elderly above the age of 65, 4.4% of Korean-Americans fall within this age group. Interestingly, 91% of this population group are foreign born and the rest are seemingly naturalized. About 80% of them do not speak English and close to a half do not have proper education. Another 43%-48% live in poverty while a selected 1.4% or so live in nursing homes (Shin, 2010).

On religious stratification, most Koreans are largely divided into Muslim or Buddhist groups (Kwon, 2001, p. 18). Most of their social education therefore takes place in either churches or temples. Group ties are therefore formed on these social grounds, with many people being accepted and developing a social identity on the same grounds. These statistics continue to rise by the day. This study will therefore analyze the culture of the Koreans with regards to its implications on health care.

Patterns of Health Risk

The Korean National Statistics Office identifies that Koreans in Korea have a number of health care problems which are unique to their population group and include circulatory diseases, cancer, endocrine diseases, dementia, respiratory diseases and musculoskeletal diseases (Shin, 2010). However, as Koreans move to other world regions like the US or Europe, they develop certain lifestyle diseases which can be stratified into three groups of low, moderate and high-risk groups.

In the low risk group, obesity has been identified as a low risk condition because only about 8% of the population is identified to be suffering from it (Shin, 2010). In the moderate risk strata, alcohol abuse was identified to be prevalent especially among Koreans under the age of 40, with prevalence rates noted to be declining, as the respondents got older. For example, in a study done in Koreans living in Los Angeles, 12.5% of adults aged above 65 polled that they took alcohol on a regular (Shin, 2010). Most of alcohol abusers were males who frequented nightclubs. However, a greater majority of Koreans were noted to be abstainers. In the high-risk disease group, Koreans were noted to be majorly suffering from Diabetes mellitus, Hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, hepatitis B and various nutritional diseases (Shin, 2010).

Korean nutrition

The contemporary Korean diet is not as nutritious as other Asian groups because research has observed that it is low on calories, calcium and vitamins. In addition, a large number of women were observed to be consuming less than the recommended amount of proteins in their daily diets (Shin, 2010). The cultural Korean food is also composed of too much salt and in a contemporary Korean meal, small amounts of preserved meals are normally served and the preserving chemicals are the major cause of health complications.

In the same regard, there are very few Koreans who eat fresh foods. Most of their food are therefore picked in Brine and packed in highly salty solutions (Shin, 2010). This therefore increases their pre-disposure to hypertension and increases complications for patients who are experiencing congestive heart complications and who fail to observe strict dietary restrictions.

Emphasis on Family and Kinship

Studies have exposed the fact that most Koreans have a high regard for filial piety and also have a high regard for clear roles for family members (Shin, 2010). There is therefore a great sense of family collectivity and interdependence which normally surpasses individual interests but tramples upon the importance of Koreans getting good education. Blood relatives are highly regarded especially among the Korean elderly.

Children with mixed ethnicity are therefore never appreciated in the society and are often put up for adoption while marriages outside their racial comfort are highly discouraged. Due to the fact that the community has a strong emphasis on family, they tend to believe more what a family member says instead of a physician (Gerstein, 2009, p. 179). Also traditionally, men have chauvinistic tendencies in the Korean society and therefore diseases that affect men have been given much emphasis as opposed to those that affect women.

Health Beliefs

Many Koreans have been known to traditionally prefer oriental medicines as opposed to other forms of treatment. The traditional forms of oriental medicine are normally termed as Hanyak or Hanbag (Shin, 2010). Methods of diagnosing patients in the Korean culture involve observing patients, recording the patient’s history, carefully listening to the voices of the patients and feeling their pulse, although the most common method of treating patients is through acupuncture, herbs, moxibustion, and cupping (Shin, 2010).

Koreans also believe that they may be subject to spiritual illnesses if they do not live up to their spiritual obligations which are usually defined by religion (Diabetes Care and Education Dietetic Practice Group, 2009, p. 151). They also believe that they may fall sick if they do not pray, or if they do not please their ancestors like wrong choice of burial sites or when they annoy folk spirits. For example, the Hywabung is a traditional Korean disease associated with individuals who do not openly express their emotions as expected of them culturally. In some quarters it is known as the “fire illness” (Shin, 2010).

Issues around Health Promotion

Most Koreans do not approve of Western forms of medicine to improve their health; instead, they prefer natural ways of boosting their immune system like jogging around the house, eating raw food or subscribing to a natural food diet. In the same regard, they prefer to use traditional oriental health practices to keep fit and would prefer them to Western form of medication. For instance, fomentation bath is common when they want to increase their blood circulation. Alternatively, they may use Sauna for the same purpose (Shin, 2010).

Senior Services

Most Koreans subscribe to churches and temples for support services. Due to the industrious nature of most Korean elderly, they usually have a high likelihood of declining to participate in American senior citizens programs because they normally perceive them as social entertainment. Health promotion activities perceived to be in accordance to the Korean culture would therefore seem appropriate for most of the Korean elderly.

Death

Most Koreans have a high regard for their homeland and would rather be transported home to die, or would prefer their bodies be transported home for burial. Under religious values among most Koreans, many of them believe that death is part of the transition into another life and taking it up boldly is a symbol of high virtue (Shin, 2010). It is also important that the eldest son be present when an elderly Korean is about to pass on. Additionally, cremation is highly preferred by Koreans because during Thanksgiving, most family members visit the tombs of the departed ones. This is also a forum for fostering family unity (Shin, 2010). These cultural practices are important when attending to end of life medical procedures.

Conclusion

It is evidently clear that most Koreans are still engrossed in their traditional forms of medicines and health practices. The elderly are especially more embroiled in traditional health practices. Medicinal procedures conforming to the Korean culture therefore ought to be administered to them. This means that health practitioners need to be tactful in managing health conditions by going around cultural beliefs to ensure the patient gets the best health care. For example, health care practitioners should use family members to make patients undertake meaningful health care procedures deemed culturally unacceptable (because Koreans still have a high regard for family). The provision of health care among Koreans therefore needs to be undertaken within the context of the Korean culture.

References

Diabetes Care and Education Dietetic Practice Group. (2009). Cultural Food Practices. Michigan: American Dietetic Association.

Gerstein, L. (2009). International Handbook of Cross-Cultural Counseling: Cultural Assumptions and Practices Worldwide. London: SAGE.

Kwon, H. Y. (2001). Korean Americans and Their Religions: Pilgrims and Missionaries From A Different Shore. New York: Penn State Press.

Shin, K. R. (2010). Health and Health Care Of Korean-American Elders. Web.

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