Cultural background informs health-seeking behavior among ethnic groups. As a nurse, competence on cultural diversity is essential in understanding differences between African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asians and the Arabs, ethnic groups that make up a majority of the population in the US. Understanding the differences and similarities ensures treatment and care plans are developed in line with cultural beliefs. Hispanic Americans
The people of Latin descent are faced with a variety of challenges in regards to health-seeking behavior. The barriers include language barriers, lack of insurance cover, illegal migration, mistrust and cultural differences. The Latinos tend first to treat themselves in the house or using alternative therapies informed by a belief in traditional illnesses before seeking professional treatment by the healthcare providers. In Latin countries, most pharmaceuticals are readily available without prescriptions, and this explains the self-treatment behavior ( Juckett, 2016) . The Latinos are increasingly being faced by the problem of obesity and diabetes mellitus, which can be related to delaying convection treatment.
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Asians
The typical Asian seeks the help of traditional healers before consulting a physician. The ethnic group is even more reluctant in matters of mental health. For instance, the Vietnamese are culturally limited in response to mental health. Ill mental health is associated with evil spirits; thus, although they recognize the importance of mental health, they will follow the traditional healing procedure ( Odeh, 2018) . The group also believes in faith health and seeks the help of Buddha, before consulting a doctor.
Arabs
Information on health practices of the group is limited as studies are rarely carried out targeting it. Arabs, however, have a smoking culture, which results in higher lung cancer cases among them. The practice also makes them more vulnerable to respiratory diseases, but they rarely seek the services of doctors ( Odeh, 2018) . The ethnic group prefers over the counter drugs. Men in this ethic group also receive better healthcare than women, as men make most decisions for females. A man will be rushed to a facility faster than a woman, which prompts women to seek home remedies. However, in the US, the practice is not rampant.
African Americans (My ethnic group)
Traditionally, African Americans perceive ill health to be undesirable, thus associate it with evil, poverty, bad luck, and fate turmoil. Although the belief has subsided as people have continued to become civilized, home remedies are still a common practice. When faced by an illness, the Black American will first apply home remedies such as concoctions from nature such as cinnamon, lemons, ginger, cardamom, among others. Home remedies are common among the three discussed ethnic groups, as they provide momentary relieve before accessing professional care. If home remedies fail, the typical African American will result in cultural remedies such as herbal medicine ( Hewins-Maroney, Schumaker, & Williams, 2015) .
In some cases, they turn to a deity to pray for healing, a common practice with the Arabs and Asians. The ethnic group will consult healthcare providers in case the first two interventions fail. Just like Hispanics, they are reluctant to seek medication, and prefer over the counter medication.
However comparing the four discussed ethnic groups, the Black Americans are the easiest to deal with in a clinical setup, as they are more likely to readily accept medical interventions without citing religious or cultural beliefs. For example, a woman in labor will be more willing to undertake the cesarian section that all of the other ethnic groups. However, they also tend to be too independent when seeking medication. Self-diagnosis and prescription is a common practice, as they already have formed solutions on what is best for them.
Conclusion
Understanding of how sociocultural and psychosocial factors influence health-seeking behavior of people in different ethnic groups is important in understanding why a patient may be reluctant to seek professional healthcare or decline some forms of treatment, thus the nurse factors that in when designing a care plan. P overty, racism, prejudice, discrimination, perceived health status and the lack of personal efficacy contribute to decisions about health care, feelings of helplessness, and the lack of trust in the health care providers on health-seeking behavior.
References
Hewins-Maroney, B., Schumaker, A., & Williams, E. (2015). Health seeking behaviors of African Americans: implications for health administration. Journal of health and human services administration , 68-95.
Juckett, G. (2016). Caring for Latino patients. American Family Physician , 87 (1), 48-54.
Odeh Yosef, A. R. (2018). Health beliefs, practice, and priorities for health care of Arab Muslims in the United States: Implications for nursing care. Journal of Transcultural Nursing , 19 (3), 284-291.
