The Filipino Culture And Hypertension In The Philippine Culture

Modern medical advancements have significantly decreased the prevalence and severity of infectious disease as well as the treatment of acute, traumatic conditions. Pharmacological research has also gained insight into the management of chronic disease. Still, there is an epidemic of chronic, treatable diseases like stroke, heart disease, and kidney disease. Hypertension proves to be the underlying factor associated with these diseases. Hypertension is often referred to as the silent killer because of its indication in deadly disease, and the importance of monitoring ones blood pressure is vital. Lifestyle, diet, and genetic predisposition are all factors of high blood pressure. Chronic high blood pressure above safe levels, known as hypertension, puts elevated physical stress on the renal and cardiovascular systems. By controlling this factor in patients, healthcare providers can decrease cardiovascular events, improve health outcomes, and decrease overall mortality. Patient education is often overlooked in its role in the control and prevention of high blood pressure. This paper analyzes the causes and physiology behind high blood pressure as they relate to the current nursing interventions. The role of nurses is discussed in relation to patient education regarding high blood pressure, and educational approaches are analyzed.

As a Filipino-American nurse living in Los Angeles, California, this writer has been a witness and an active participant in the multifactorial influences/aspects that affect the Filipino-Americans, in health and illness. Being a grandmother of wonderful grandkids has brought me further exposure to the plight of elderly Filipino-Americans in the United States of America.

The first short-term goal is to decrease obesity. Interventions for this goal are nutrition education, weight loss programs, and increasing physical activity. The second short-term goal is to decrease the incidence of hypertension. Interventions for this goal are regular blood pressure screenings, treatment of people with hypertension, and improve medication access. The third short-term goal is to decrease cholesterol. Interventions for this goal are regular cholesterol screenings, diet education regarding high risk foods, and treatment of people with high

Hypertension is a condition of the heart where excessive amount of pressure is introduced in the blood vessels. The excessive pressure created in the blood vessels causes a lot of damage to the vessels and can lead to serious complications. This condition can affect everybody but the chances of acquiring these diseases are high in older people. Specific for Hispanics, they stand a higher chance of developing hypertension than other lineages in America. Some of the diseases they are prone to are cardiovascular, obesity in young people and diabetes.

Due to discrimination, hypertension is widely dominating in minorities. Back in 2007, it had been reported that 24 million individuals suffering from this condition are African Americans alone (Hall 210). In a

African-American women have a higher rate of hypertension (high blood pressure) than white women and Hispanic women. “According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 34.2% of the Black, non-Hispanic female population between 1998 and 1994 had hypertension 22.0% of Hispanic women and 19.3% of White; non-Hispanic women had hypertension during this time.” (NWHIC, 2015) A few of the reasons African-American women have a higher rate of hypertension is because of genetic and environmental factors, also dietary factors such as their bad eating habits and huge salt

In general, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPI) bear a disproportionately higher prevalence of many chronic medical conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity, collectively known as cardiometabolic disorders (Mau et al., 2009). Native Cardiovascular disease (CVD), which includes coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke, is the leading cause of death and disability in the world (WHO, 2012). This is consistent with Native Hawaiians having a higher prevalence in different types of CVD and its various risk factors. Among CVD risk factors, hypertension is the most common (Kaplan & Opie, 2006; Pieske & Wachter, 2008). The high rate of hypertension among NHPP may be explained in part by the high rate of obesity and other factors that affect blood

Hypertension is a developing problem worldwide associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. In 2020, the world population will be approximately 7.8 billion people, and there will be 1 billon people who may be affected by hypertension (Tomson & Lip, 2005). One in three adults in the United States has high blood pressure. According to the report “Health, United States, 2010 with Special Feature on Death and Dying,” the prevalence of hypertension among adults 20 years old or older increased from 24% to 32% during 1988-1994 and 2005-2008. The African-American population has a higher prevalence of this health condition than white Americans do. In 2005 to 2008, the prevalence of hypertension among black males (41.4%) was more than 10%,

According to McBride morbidity and mortality are due to the following disease pro-cesses amongst the Filipino community: cardiovascular disease and diabetes, breast cancer, dementia, depression, elderly abuse, gout, TB and HIV. (McBride, 2001)

Our country is rich in culture; the occupation of the Spanish, the American, and the Japanese gave the Philippines its diverse and unique culture. This exceptional culture we have in our country has produced numerous brilliant individuals, who up to this day are still well recognized. So it is safe to say that part of the reason why they became who they were is because of their culture; because of our culture. (Ong, 2011)

Hypertension is widely considered to be one of the most important risk factors of cardiovascular diseases (angina, arrhythmia, etc.). It is the second leading disease that causes mortality in the world. Hypertension is the condition when there is an increase in the force of blood on the walls of vessels. It can also be defined as an arterial blood pressure that is raised above 140/90 mm Hg (systolic/ diastolic BP). Hypertension can be classified into Secondary hypertension and Essential hypertension. When specific cause is evident but heredity, and various physiological parameters play a role in increasing blood pressure is known as Essential Hypertension. Secondary Hypertension is one where the cause is known. According to WHO guidelines between 2006 and 2015, deaths due to cardiovascular diseases are expected to increase by 17% while the deaths from infectious diseases, nutritional deficiencies, maternal and prenatal conditions are projected to decline by 3%. The main causes of hypertension includes the age ,hereditary, gender, extra weight, alcohol consumption, stress life, lazy life etc.

Today when people move across continents with the help of technology their culture and heritage moves along with them. Almost each and every continent is populated with people from different nations who have diverse traditions and cultures. Thus knowledge of health traditions and culture plays a vital role in nursing. People from different cultures have a unique view on health and illness. Culture-specific care is a vital skill to the modern nurse, as the United States continues to consist of many immigrants who have become assimilated into one culture. I interviewed three families of different cultures: - Indian (my culture), Hispanic and Chinese. Let us see the differences in health traditions between these cultures.

Factors that contribute to hypertension are age, ethnicity, gender, and lifestyles as shown in Figure 1 (Yoon, Burt, Louis, & Carroll, 2012). While the prevalence of hypertension is relatively equal among men and women, certain ethnicities have a higher propensity for developing hypertension. The prevalence of hypertension in African-Americans is among the highest in the United States for a single ethnic group (Ferdinand & Armani, 2007). In the United States, around 78% of people suffering from hypertension are aware of their condition, with only 68% using hypertensive medications to control their blood

A disparity can be defined as a difference, an inequality, a discrepancy, a gap, or an inconsistency. Within individual cultures, there are health disparities, or specific differences of a population in the existence of health outcomes, disease, health care access, and value of health care services existing across ethnic and racial groups. Disparities can stand for ineffectiveness within the system of health care and thus accounting for unnecessary costs. (Douglas and Paquiao, 2010) The Filipino culture has numerous factors leading to insufficient access to care and reduced quality of care, some of them being cultural habits concerning diet, language, and screening rates, as well as behavioral and mental health. Every culture has its own traditional beliefs and values amongst which can be shared transculturally to better international health whereas there are also those that are influenced by the Filipino culture that can be seen as non beneficial to future generations.

The Philippines is a country deeply rooted in culture. The Army defines culture as a “dynamic social system” containing the values, beliefs, behaviors, and the norms of a “specific group, organization or society or other collectively” learned, shared, internalized, and changeable by all members of the society (FM 3-24 COUNTERINSURGENCY, 2006). Cultures have different characteristics which consist of shared, learned, symbols, integrated and dynamic.