Introduction

In this paper I will be discussing practices, beliefs and customs of Muslim Americans and cultural consideration for this population. Infectious diseases will also be examined as related to this population and health promotion plan to help solve this problem will be presented.

The population of Muslim Americans is growing rapidly because of immigration and high birth rate. Muslims accounts for 1.3 billion of the world’s population and 7-8 million are in the united states. In America 86 percent of Muslims believe that it is essential for health care professionals to understand Islamic beliefs and practices. This is necessary for effective delivery of health care to Muslims.

Practices, beliefs, values and customs

Islam is a way of life which integrates the secular and spiritual aspects of life. The word Islam means submission to the supreme and only God, called Allah. People who exercise this submission are known as Muslims. The Islamic way of life is constructed under the direction of God through his word as revealed to the prophet Mohammad. The Muslim community can be found almost everywhere in the world. In the united states of America, the largest population of Muslim are found in new york and California. The largest ethic group of Muslims are African Americans and they are about 30 to 40 percent of this population. About 70 percent of Muslim in the United States are immigrants. A lot of these Muslims are from middle east, north Africa, south Asia and southeast Asia. Muslim Americans are mostly middle class Americans although there are some Muslims that are economically stressed. Muslims can display a wide range of practices, beliefs and values because Islam is accepted by many individuals from very different ethic groups. Ranging from Caucasians, Asians, Hispanics to Africans and African Americans.

The common beliefs, values and practices that will be discussed addresses Islam in general. There are five pillars of faith in Islam. It includes the belief that Allah is the only God, fasting from sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan if one is psychically able to, pilgrimage to Mecca, pray five times a day and providing help to the needy. Muslim Americans place great value on family. Their families include not only the nuclear family but also extended relatives and the Islamic community as a whole. Mostly the female’s main obligation is to maintain a stable home and raise the children while the male provides for the material needs of the family. Females are not absolutely band from working outside the home. They can work if doing so doesn’t interfere with providing proper care for the family. Males are also considered the head of the family and provides leadership. A man is allowed to marry up to four wives but only if he knows he can treat them equally and if he has a good justified reason. Some reasons include the wife’s inability to have children or a wife who is sick and incapable of taking care of the man’s needs physically and emotionally. Individuals are encouraged to dress in modesty. The act or practice of veiling called hijab is one of the way females convey this modesty. Muslims are not allowed to eat pork and pork products. The Muslim tradition prohibit the ingestion of pork. Halal meat is permitted because of the condition it was slaughtered.

Muslim clients view health and illness as a concept that integrates illness and death with patience, meditation and prayers. Illness may be seen as a divine test. Body and soul are believed to be connected. Illness is also seen as payment for sins while death is seen as a pathway to God. Illness is also seen as a body process that cleanses, purifies and balances a human being physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Muslims use diet, physiotherapy and medication.

leading health objectives

The leading health objective for this population is immunization and infectious diseases. This is because Muslim Americans have very large family size with one man having two or three wives and each wife having three or four children. This life style increases the spread of infectious disease and places each member of the family at high risk for contracting respiratory diseases like pneumonia, influenza and tuberculosis. Diseases are easily spread in large population.

Every Muslim is required to visit Mecca. A pilgrimage to Mecca is called Hajji,which is part of the five pillars of faith as discussed above. This collective gathering consists of over two billion people. The spread of infectious disease in this type of gathering is fast. The risk of respiratory infections is extremely high particularly cough caused by viruses and bacteria. The pilgrimage to Mecca occurs in Saudi Arabia annually for five days and it is attended by people from over 140 countries. Disease out breaks have been known to happen during Hajji. Out breaks of plague and Cholera have being previously reported. Some infectious disease may be asymptomatic until the individual arrive at Saudi Arabia. This aids the spread and it can lead to an epidemic. The influenza season and extreme overcrowding also aids the spread of diseases. Meningococcal disease has also being linked to history of recent return from Hajji or contact with someone who just returned. Preexisting health problems like hearth disease and diabetes along with extreme physical stress, extreme sun exposure and thirst can also increase the risk of infectious disease.

Cultural considerations

Specific considerations for the interview and health history of a Muslim American includes the following

• Address the husband or the oldest male first before addressing other members of the family because the male is considered the head of the family.
• Ask the client if there are any cultural practices and values that is important to the client before starting the interview. This is very important because Muslims have various ethnicity and cultures.
• Interviews and assessment should be scheduled between the client’s prayer time to avoid conflicting with this important practice.
• Care givers should be of the same sex as client because this is ideal in the Islamic religion. Modesty and the preservation of a woman’s dignity is an important value of this community.
• Do not recommend the consumption of pork and pork products during dietary teaching. Insulin made from pork should not be administered to Muslim Americans.
• Expression of negative feelings is not accepted among most Muslim Americans.

Health promotion plan

The health promotion plan for Muslim Americans that is going to improve the quality of life of this population includes establishment of a community center in the five boroughs of new york city, sponsoring nurses to travel to Mecca during hajj and funding research on this population of client. This plan is going to provide culture specific care to this population of Americans as much as possible.

The community center will focus on pre and post Hajji health physical of Muslim Americans. Avoidable infectious disease like influenza should be avoided by vaccination. Individuals planning to partake in Hajji should be identified and prepared before leaving the country. The goal of this center concentrates on early detection, prevention, education and awareness. Rapid diagnoses and early treatment to avoid transmission to other family members is important. The community center will have nurses and health care providers of both gender available to carter to the need of clients. Gender specific care will be provided especially for female clients who prefer female health care professionals. Day care section will also be available in this center. This will enable female clients to seek health care while their kids are been looked after.

Nurses that are willing to go to Mecca will be recruited and sponsored. Nurses will provide free health care services and infection control. These nurses will ensure that client that are sick during Hajji are properly isolated from other people to decrease the spread of diseases. Nurses will also provide teaching and education during the Hajji period. seasonal influenza vaccination will also be administered to clients that have not received this vaccine before leaving their country. Teachings about proper hand washing and the covering of the mouth will be the focus.

Research study on this population will be funded to provide health professionals with evidence based practice. The research will focus on cultural competency, the study and prevalence of respiratory diseases. The prevention and treatment of respiratory disease will also be examined, particularly during Hajji.

Cultural competency

Understanding the process of achieving what constitutes cultural competency involves taking the time to read research, journal and article that focuses on this aspect of nursing.

Cultural competency involves providing proper care to clients and meeting their needs while considering values, practices and beliefs that are specific to individual client. To achieve cultural competency one has to develop knowledge about different cultures and languages. Knowledge can be gathered through reading cultural books and journal, participating in research about cultural diversity, and practicing evidence based practice.

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