1. C h in e s e C u lt u r e
As s e s s me nt
Dorothy Alford, Jen Banfield,
Kitti Johnson, Jo-Anne
McInnes,
Denette Moon
University of Phoenix
Dominic Koh
July 14, 2008

2. T h e C h in e s e
C u lt u r e G r o u p
 One billion people live in China
today
 2010 35% of population will be
non-white
 Speak a variety of different languages
and dialects.
 There are seven major language
groups, each with many dialects.

3. T h e C h in e s e C u lt u r e
G roup
 Holism is a valued
concept in the
Chinese culture
 Acupuncture
Lasers and/or
electricity
 Moxibustion
Applying heat to the
acupuncture site
 Herbology
Use of plant and food

4. T h e C h in e s e C u lt u r a l
G roup
 Cupping
 Decrease stress
and congestion
 Méditation
 Maintain a total
sense of mind,
body, and spirit
(Bonadonna,
2003).

5. C h in e s e B e lie f s o f
H e a lt h a n d Illn e s s
H e a lt h is g u id e d b y t h r e e
p h ilo s o p h ic a l v ie w s
 C o n f u c ia n is m
 social interaction
 loyalty to family
 respect for parents
 unselfishness
 T a o is m
 harmony with nature
 Chi defined by “Ying” and “Yang”
 B u d d h is m
 love, faith, compassion for the living
 “Inn” and “Ko”, cause and effect system
T o r e m a in in g o o d h e a lt h , o n e m u s t
r e m a in in h a r m o n y w it h t h e
e n v ir o n m e n t

6. C h in e s e B e lie f s o f
Illn e s s
Illness
 Viewed as an imbalance of opposing forces
 Yin and Yang
 Negative and positive forces
 May bring shame to the family
 “Saving Face” may delay seeking
treatment

7. C h in e s e S p e c if ic H e a lt h
a n d Illn e s s n e e d s
 DepressionTB

 Alcoholism Cancers

 Dementia Smoking
 Hepatitis B

8. Ma na g e me nt of
C h in e s e H e a lt h a n d
Illn e s s
 A 1985 survey found
Asian Americans in
general were more
likely than white
Americans to be
without health
insurance.
 Socioeconomic status
tends to be lower in
certain Asian American
groups.

9. C h in e s e D o m in a n t H e a lt h
C a r e P r a c t ic e s
 May treat minor and chronic
illnesses with Chinese medicine and
acute and serious problems with
Western medicine.
 May also use both herbal medicines
and Western medicines concurrently
for the same condition

10. C h in e s e D o m in a n t H e a lt h
C a r e P r a c t ic e s – F o r
E ld e r ly C h in e s e
 May hesitate to r i c a n s
Ame
make direct eye
contact, ask
questions or voice
opinions.
 Elder patients
should be
permitted time to
“talk story” before
beginning the
clinical interview.
 Address patient

11. C h in e s e D o m in a n t H e a lt h
C a r e P r a c t ic e s – F o r
E ld e r ly C h in e s e
A m e r ic a n s
 Treat traditional
Chinese Medical
treatments with
respect.
 Frequently
extend an
invitation for
questions

12. C u lt u r e A s s e s s me nt
Th e o r y fo r th e
C h in e s e C u lt u r e
Leininger’s Transcultural Theory
 Care is universal and varies
transculturally
 Goal is to provide care consistent
with the nursing’s emerging science
and knowledge with caring as
central focus

13. Assessment of Client
 Information on culture
 Cultural assessment
 Accurate
 Catered to the individual
 Unbiased
 Knowledge about cultural dynamics and
social structural dimensions

14. S tre ng ths a nd
 Strengths: a k n e s s e s
We
 Holistic approach
 Considered both a vital and
discipline component of
daily nursing practice
 Only theory that explicitly
focus on the relationship
between culture and care
on health and wellness
 Weakness
 Failure of the healthcare

15. C o n c lu s io n
More than 1 billion people live in China today, and many
additional Chinese people live in other countries,
making the Chinese the most populous ancestry in
the world. A common belief among the Chinese states
that "thirty percent of healing depends on curative
means and seventy percent on nursing care“
Chinese medicine defines health as a state of balance
between spiritual, physical, and psychological
harmony. When this system is not in balance, illness
and disease occur. Illness is viewed as an imbalance
between a person and nature and their social
environment. A Chinese-American may treat minor
and chronic illnesses with Chinese medicine and

16. R e fe re n c e s
Chen, Y., D. (1996). Conformity with nature: A theory of
chinese american elders’ health promotion and illness
prevention process. Advances in Nursing Science, 19(2)
17-26. Retrieved July 11, 2008 from Journals@OVID
database.
Chen, M. S. (1994). Health status of Chinese Americans:
Challenges and Opportunities. Paper presented at the
7th International Conference of HealthProblems
Related to the Chinese. July 1-3, 1994.
Cheung, R., Nelson, W., Advincula, L., Cureton, V., &
Canham, D. (2005). Understanding the culture of Chinese
children and families. Journal of School Nursing, 21(1), 3-9.
Retrieved July 12, 2008, from CINAHL Plus with Full Text
database.

17. R e fe re n c e s
Friedman, M., M., Bowden, V., R., & Jones, E., G. (2003).
Family nursing: Research, theory, and practice (5th ed.).
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Hsu, W. C., Yoon, H. H. (2007). Building Cultural Competency
for Improved Diabetes Care: Asian Americans and Diabetes.
Supplement to The Journal of Family Practice. September.
Maier-Lorentz, M. (2008). Transcultural nursing: its
importance in nursing practice. Journal of Cultural
Diversity, 15(1), 37-43. Retrieved July 12, 2008, from
University of Phoenix, ProQuest database.
Potter, P., & Perry, A. (2001). Fundamentals of nursing. (5th
ed.). St. Louis, MO: Mosby.

18. R e fe re n c e s
Tom, L. (1998). Health and Health Care for
Chinese-American Elders. Department of
Geriatric Medicine, University of Hawaii.
Retrieved July 10, 2008 from website:
www.stanford.edu/group/ethnoger/chinese.html.
Yu, Mimi. (1993). National Cancer Institute of
health- Epidemiology and Genetics Research.
Singapore cohort of diet and cancer. Retrieved
on July 11, 2008 from website:
http://epi.grants.cancer.gov.