How Culture and Other Variables Impact Global Healthcare Access

Culture remains an important variable affecting access to global healthcare. A question, in this case, is: How does culture affect access to global healthcare? Culture has an impact on access to healthcare. It has been linked to individuals’ perceptions and definitions of illness and disease. In addition, it affects healthcare-seeking and overall behavior toward health and wellness. The definition and perception of illness vary across cultures and have a bearing on the modalities to be used to offset them (Hernandez & Gibb, 2019). Ethnic groups that perceive illnesses and diseases as natural phenomena recommend spiritual and divine interventions to remedy the presumed disfavor from these powerful forces. The patient in the case linked his illness to a familial curse and sought sorcerer intervention to cure his illnesses.

Another aspect of culture is behavior and health-seeking. Health-seeking behavior varies across cultures and is highly dependent on the perception of the healthcare systems. Ethnic groups with poor belief in the conventional healthcare systems are unlikely to have good healthcare-seeking behavior (Hernandez & Gibb, 2019). The patient in the case expressed his family’s disbelief in the American healthcare system and lagged in community screening programs and immunizations. All these are an affirmation of cultural influences on access to healthcare.

How Health Disparities Affect Global Health Populations

How do healthcare disparities affect access to global healthcare? Healthcare disparity is still a problem in many societies. Ethnic minority groups are disproportionately affected by this problem. Social discrimination, inadequate legal protections, poverty, geographical location, and availability of community resources and healthcare services that constitute healthcare disparities have been implicated in worse healthcare outcomes and poor access to healthcare. Lavizzo-Mourey et al. (2021) report that social discrimination witnessed across many ethnic minority communities directly affects the behavior of individuals in these communities. Low literacy levels, for instance, that are conspicuous in communities affected by health disparities lower their uptake and adoption of health promotion and preservation information such as screening and immunization. The lack of community resources and healthcare facilities also diminishes individuals’ willingness to pursue health preservation measures. These factors demonstrate how healthcare disparity affects access to healthcare.

Summary

Poor access to healthcare remains a global healthcare issue. Low literacy levels, poverty, culture, behavior, and others have been implicated as causal factors. Culture influences the definition of illnesses and shapes an individual’s healthcare-seeking behavior. Health disparity across some societies across the globe also denies some communities access to healthcare. The case presented is a representation of how these factors can jeopardize an individual’s access to care.

References

Dawkins, B., Renwick, C., Ensor, T., Shinkins, B., Jayne, D., & Meads, D. (2021). What factors affect patients’ ability to access healthcare? An overview of systematic reviews. Tropical Medicine & International Health, 26(10), 1177–1188. https://doi.org/10.1111/tmi.13651.

Hernandez, M., & Gibb, J. K. (2019). Culture, behavior, and health. Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health, 2020(1), 12–13. https://doi.org/10.1093/emph/eoz036.