Heritage Assessment: Jamaica, Bangladesh, and Cuba
Jessyca E. Jackson
Grand Canyon University: NRS-429V-O104
August 24, 2014

Heritage Assessment: Jamaica, Bangladesh, and Cuba The Heritage Assessment Tool produced by Prentice-Hall was used to interview three individuals. All the question listed on the tool were asked of these individuals and a discussion of health traditions followed. The following is a synopsis of these interviews and contains conclusions drawn from the interviews.
Usefulness of Using a Heritage Assessment in Evaluating the Needs of the Whole Person
The use of a heritage assessment tool is a good place to start when trying to understand the culture, beliefs, and values of your patient. Proper assessment is necessary in order to prevent stereotyping. It is easy to make assumptions about a patient based upon their exterior, but a nurse must learn what lies within, in order to provide effective care and teaching. According to Edelman & Kudzma, “the culture and beliefs of people can also influence health action.” (Edelman, 2014, 5) With this in mind, a nurse must have some understanding of the general beliefs and values a person may have, based on their cultural identity and then delve further into the individual to ascertain their level of identification to their cultural heritage. It is a mistake to think that a full understanding of the whole person can be gained through assumptions based upon generalized knowledge of their ethnic/cultural heritage.
Family Interviews Three individuals were interviewed for this paper. One was from Jamaica, one was from Bangladesh, and one was from Cuba. The individuals were very open to the idea a sharing their culture and heritage with this writer. Interestingly, it was not until the third attempt at communication that all three individuals shared information regarding their personal health traditions. Up to the third contact, all three individuals spoke in generalities, which leads this writer to wonder just how much a bedside nurse can learn about a patient with the limited opportunity for interaction allowed by a hospital setting.
Jamaican Heritage Emone is a 45 year old married woman, living in Miami with her husband and two step-sons. She was born in New Jersey, but returned to Jamaica, her parent’s homeland, while she was still an infant. Emone grew to adolescences in a household that sometimes contained her parents, but always included her grandmother and a few aunts. Although her parents were born in Jamaica, she is of mixed ethnicity. Her grandparents hail from Cuba, Ireland, and Syria. When Emone was 12 years old, she returned to America and lived in Miami, where she grew up and now remains. Emone spoke of visits with relatives, in many locations, at various times. She has no religious preference, which she attributes to her varied ethnicity, although she does consider herself a Christian. Emone’s first language is English and she does speak and read some patois, which she says is the “broken English” of Jamaica. According to the website, Countries and their cultures:
Jamaicans use a mix of traditional and biomedical healing practices. The degree of use of traditional means, including spiritual healing, is inversely related to class status. Among the African Jamaicans, illness is believed to be caused by spiritual forces or violation of cultural taboos. Consequently, most illnesses are treated holistically. When traditional means fail, modern medicine is tried. (Jamaica, 2014) Emone spoke of several teas being used for many medicinal purposes: Moringa (Moringa tree) tea, Cerassie (bitter melon) tea, and Bissy (cola nut) tea. She also remembered being given cod liver oil and several doses of something that was supposed rid her of intestinal parasites (E. Lawson-Hunter, personal communication, August 18, 2014).
Bangladeshi Heritage Rahanul is a 23 year old, unmarried and male. He came to America from Bangladesh four months ago. He lives in the home of his uncle and works in a store owned by his uncle. Rahanul grew up in a multigenerational household with his siblings, parents, and grandparents. He described his neighborhood as suburban and explained that all of his family lived nearby, excluding the family members who had immigrated to America. Rahanul speaks with his family in Bangladesh often. He calls his mother daily. Rahanul is practicing Muslim, although he now lives in a rural part of Florida and cannot go to mosque as often as he would like. He does follow the dietary restrictions of his religion, but said that his job does keep him from praying five times a day. According to the website, Countries and their cultures:
Professional physicians are consulted by the educated and by those who have not received relief from other sources. Commonly, people pursue alternative treatments simultaneously, visiting a fakir for an amulet, an imam for blessed oil, and a physician for medicine. (Bangladesh, 2014)
Rahanul explained that health care began at home, with “proper diet”. His mother took him to the doctor “five times” for vaccinations and if his grandmother’s home remedies failed to restore his health (R. Islam Sabuj, personal communication, August 20, 2014).
Cuban Heritage
Jaqueline is a 35 year old female, married, mother of three. She immigrated to Miami from Cuba at the age of 5. Her parents grew up in Cuba and she has many relatives remaining there. She calls her relatives in Cuba about once a month and returns to visit once a year. Her husband is also of Cuban heritage. She relates with the Catholic religion, but says that she only follows her religious upbringing on holidays, as her husband is not religious. She is bilingual and didn’t speak any English when she started public school.
According to the website, Countries and their cultures:
Cubans have benefitted dramatically in the last forty years, with lower infant and maternal mortality rates, a higher average caloric consumption, and a vastly reduced number of persons served by each doctor. Cuba has joined the United States and Canada as the only three nations in the Western Hemisphere to have been granted "best health status" by the United Nations. Since health care is not a matter of profit, and there are no insurance companies in search of wealth, Cuba can provide high-quality health care at a reasonable cost. (Cuba, 2014)
Jaqueline’s health promotion, maintenance, and restoration experiences were similar to those of the “average” American’s. This writer attributes this similarity to the Cuban Revolution and the movement of Cuba into First World status.
Common Health Traditions
This author can include being cared for by her grandmother and being feed special foods during times of illness. A potato soup was offered for any gastrointestinal illness. The soup would be a thin broth, if one was very ill, and became thicker and more seasoned as one’s health was restored. If any contagious childhood illness presented, such as chicken pox, one would be relegated to the den, which was located in the back of the house. Lots of grilled cheese sandwiches, tomato soup, and Sprite was always offered, seemingly to make up for the loneliness of quarantine. For cough or upper-respiratory illness, Vick’s VapoRub was applied to the chest and covered with a soft rag, tied around the neck. If a cough was persistent, a glob of Vick’s would appear upon Grandmother’s finger and had to be swallowed.
Jaqueline of Cuba shared stories about Vick’s VapoRub, comfort foods, and tea. Emone of Jamaica spoke of traditional teas, purges, and comfort foods. Rahanul of Bangladesh spoke of a “nasty medication” of which he did not know the name or purpose, which his grandmother would dose him with if he appeared unwell. It appears that food is a common link between the researched cultures and that of this writer. The loving care of a mother or grandmother was also discussed, often with an expression of fond remembrance upon the face of the subject being interviewed. It seems that many things are the same, no matter the cultural heritage.
How Interviewed Families Subscribe to Health Traditions
Jaqueline’s immediate family has adhered to the health traditions of her original family, meaning traditional, Western-medicine is what she depends upon for health maintenance, protection, and restoration. The same can be said for Emone’s immediate family. This writer feels compelled to mention here that both Jaqueline and Emone are Registered Nurses, trained in the American education system. This training prompts their actions in regard to health practices. Rahanul is only four months away from his immigration to America and is sticking more closely to his cultural heritage. This is promoted by living in the household of his traditional uncle. Only time will tell if he continues to follow his heritage. This writer believes that his choice of a spouse will have a profound impact on whether or not he holds to his culture in the future.

References
Culture of Bangladesh. (2014). In Countries and their cultures. Retrieved from http://www.everyculture.com/A-Bo/Bangladesh.html Culture of Cuba. (2014). In Countries and their cultures. Retrieved from http://www.everyculture.com/Cr-Ga/Cuba.html Culture of Jamaica. (2014). In Countries and their cultures. Retrieved from http://www.everyculture.com/Ja-Ma/Jamaica.html
Edelman, Carole, Elizabeth Kudzma, Carol Mandle. Health Promotion Throughout the
Life Span, 8th Edition. Mosby, 2014. VitalBook file.
Ginger, J. (2013). Transcultural Nursing: Assessment & Intervention (6th ed.) (J. Fornango, Ed.) St. Luis, MO: Elsevier. (Original work published 1991)
http://wps.prenhall.com/wps/media/objects/663/679611/box_6_1.pdf