Culture and Childbearing

Abstract

This book is an attempt to answer the question: "Just what does anthropology have to offer to parent-child care?" To do this, the book is organized into ten chapters; the first is an attempt to answer the question in a general way, the nine following chapters, each answering the question in terms of a specific culture that health care providers can encounter in the United States. Each chapter is written by a nurse who grew up as a member of that culture. The cultures covered are middle-class American, American Indian, Black American, Japanese American, Chinese American, Filipino American, Mexican American, Puerto Rican, and Vietnamese American. This book repeatedly demonstrates how culture-specific knowledge can help the health care professional conduct a visit in a way that is culture compatible and can make it likely that the patient will both understand and follow the treatment recommendations. For instance, knowledge of traditional greeting