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Italian Health Care Practices Our group chose to do our presentation on Italians simply because we thought it may be interesting to learn about their culture and health practices. Kristin Starner is of Italian descent, and yet she herself doesn’t know much of her own culture’s practices. We figured that there are so many things in America that are Italian (such as cuisine), and yet we don’t really know much about them at all. Since approximately 5.82% (15,916,396 out of 273,643,273) of the US population are Italian, we thought it might be useful to know more about their cultural beliefs and practices in the event that we may interact with them (whether professionally or socially) in the future. (http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QTTable?ds_name=D&geo) Most of the Italians residing here in the Unites States can be found in the North Eastern region. They prefer living together in neighborhoods, such as Little Italy in New York City and North End of Boston. A total of about five million Italians migrated to the United States from 1820 to 1990 (the peak years being 1901 to 1920), the reasons being a search for a better life and an escape from poverty. (Spector, p.283) Italians possess many characteristic beliefs and practices. They often like to keep a tight knit between family and friends, and therefore often have difficulty trusting individuals outside of their circle, much less out of their ethnic group. One major characteristic of Italians is their notion of “la famiglia,” which is loyalty to family above all else. (Rozendal, p.29-33) This is often depicted in Italian mob movies, such as in the Godfather series. Specific character traits that are much valued by Italians are: stoicism, resilience, adaptability and conformity over individuality. (Rozendal, p.29-33) Apart from family, religion is also taken especially seriously by the Italian people. The primary religion is Roman Catholic. Catholicism provides the setting, and is the main purpose for festivities and family gatherings. (Rozendal, p.20-33) There is a stereotype depicting Italians as individuals that like to talk with their hands. This stereotype developed from their belief that gestures and communication processes are better understood and read than words, and the actual content of what is being said. Italians feel that their emotions of joy, anger and grief are better revealed and expressed through their body language, although is also expressed vocally. This is how they feel emotional freedom takes place. It is not uncommon for Italians to greet each other with kisses on the cheeks and hugs (even amongst males), as touch is a symbol of friendship. Through assimilation, the effective use of the Italian language has decreased over time, through generations. (Rozendal, p.29-33) Italian families are usually stable. When describing a family, Italians normally include all the relatives, godparents, old friends and neighbors to the list, in addition to the nuclear family. Within the nuclear family however, fathers are the primary decision makers and are responsible for the protection of his family. The mother on the other hand, is in charge of the family’s emotional and social needs. (Spector, p.285) Education is not highly valued by Italian families, which could be a factor in explaining their minimal involvement in government and politics. Instead, small family businesses are commonly found, and home ownership within Italian neighborhoods is greatly valued. (Rozendal, p.29-33) Italians believe that pain is intolerable, and treatment is immediately sought. On the other hand, illnesses are tolerated and are permitted to run its course. Illnesses are often kept secret. When a study was performed on different ethnic groups on pain due to acute myocardial infraction, it was revealed that the Irish and Americans were more stoic than the other groups, and that the Jews and Italians reported the highest amount of symptoms. The Germans reported the least. (Neill, p.531-547) Italians believe that illnesses are caused by one of five things: 1) heredity, 2) lack of fresh air and poor ventilation or contaminated winds and currents, 3) contamination via sharing foods and objects with dirty individuals or contagion, 4) supernatural or human causes such as the evil eye (malocchio) and curses (castiga) —the latter causing more serious and severe illnesses than the latter, and 5) psychosomatic interactions. (Spector, p.285) Tonic injections were given to the sick by lay people in Italy. Injections are still believed to be superior to oral medication. Traditional health concepts are derived from humeral medicine.
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