Social Structure
Although the U.S. Census has used the term Asian Indian for
immigrants who came to America from India, the terms East Indian and South
Asian are also commonly used terms for this population. Asian Indians also have
emigrated from Indian communities in the United Kingdom, Canada, and other
Southeast Asian nations.
Indians in the U. S. represent diverse cultures, traditions,
customs, and languages. Although legally abolished for many years, the caste
system still influences social relations in India. The caste system is a
hierarchy of four social classes: Brahmins (priest class), Kshatriyas (warrior
class), Vaishyas (merchant class), and Sudras (laborer class). Individuals
inherit their class from parents and believe that birth in a particular caste
is predetermined by karma from previous lives. Asian Indians assimilate well
into American culture, while at the same time, keeping the culture of their
ancestors. They may assimilate more easily than other immigrant groups because
they have fewer language barriers: English is widely spoken in India among
professional classes; Indians in the U.S. are disproportionately well-educated;
and they come from a democratic society. Indian culture, like many other Asian
cultures, emphasizes achievement as a reflection upon the family and community.
Younger persons often use titles to show respect, especially when greeting
parents, older relatives, teachers, religious leaders, and persons of higher
status. Indians and other Asians, have the highest educational qualifications
of all ethnic groups in the U.S. Nearly 67 percent of the population has a bachelor’s
or higher degree (compared to 28 percent nationally). Nearly 40 percent have a
master’s, doctorate, or other professional degree—five times the U.S. average.
A Duke University/ University of California Berkeley study revealed that Indian
immigrants have founded more engineering and technology companies in the past
15 years than immigrants from China, Japan, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom,
combined. One-third of the engineers in Silicon Valley are of Indian descent,
with seven percent of hi-tech firms led by Indian CEOs.
Diet
The cuisine of India is characterized by the use of spices,
herbs, vegetables, fruits, and a wide assortment of dishes that varies from
region to region, reflecting the varied demographics of a large, ethnically
diverse country. India’s religious beliefs and culture, as well as exposure to
the foods of Greece, the Middle East, and Asia have influenced its cuisine.
Hinduism encourages a vegetarian diet.
Staples include rice, whole wheat flour, red lentils, peas,
and seeds. Most Indian curries are cooked in peanut, mustard, soybean, or
coconut oil. The most frequently used Indian spices are turmeric, chili pepper,
black mustard seed, cumin, ginger, coriander, cinnamon, clove, and garlic.
Popular spice mixes are garam masala and goda masala. In southern India, a
banana leaf is used as a plate for festive occasions. When hot food is served
on banana leaves it adds a particular aroma and flavor to the food. Food is
most often eaten using two fingers of the right hand, with bread, such as naan,
puri, or roti, to scoop the curry without letting it touch the hands. Pan, or
beetle leaves, are often chewed after a meal to aid digestion.
Religion
In India, nearly 83 percent of Indians are Hindus. Indians
are also Muslim, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsis, Christian, Jewish, and
Zoroastrian. While Hindus believe in one God, they worship many forms of gods
and goddesses in temples or at home and read from holy scriptures (Vedas,
Upanishads, and Gita).
Medical Care
Indians tend to accept and respect most Western medical
practices, including regular exams, screening procedures, transfusions, and
surgeries, although they may prefer to receive blood from persons in their own
family or religion. Along with Western medical practice, Indian immigrants may
also use faith and spiritual healing, including ritual acts and reciting
charms, and the belief that yoga eliminates certain physical and mental
illnesses. Hindus and Sikhs believe that disease is due to karma, the result of
one’s actions in past lives. They may also attribute illness to body
imbalances, which create toxins that can accumulate in weaker areas of the
body, resulting in conditions such as arthritis. Many older Indian immigrants
use home remedies based on the Indian medicine system called Ayurveda
(knowledge of life/health), which uses spices and herbs for cold, congestion,
and heart problems. Remedies may include turmeric paste as an antiseptic,
ginger and lime juice for stomach ache, and buttermilk stored in an iron
utensil for anemia. Asian ndians in the U.S. have a high prevalence and risk of
coronary artery disease—three times as high as the general U.S. population.
Type 2 diabetes is common in this population due to hypertension and a genetic
resistance to insulin.
End of Life
Hindus and Sikhs believe in reincarnation— the body dies,
but the soul is immortal. When death is imminent, the father, husband, or other
responsible person decides whether to tell the patient and informs all
relatives and friends. Indians strongly prefer death to take place at home,
where they may perform religious rituals.
Among Hindus and Sikhs, the body is washed by close family
members, dressed, and prepared for cremation. Hindus save ashes of the cremated
body until they can be scattered into the sacred river Ganges in India. Organ
donation and autopsy are unacceptable to many Hindu, Sikh, and Christian
Indians.
Culture in context
Culture is essential in assessing a person’s health and
well-being. Understanding a patient’s practice of cultural norms can allow
providers to quickly build rapport and ensure effective patient-provider
communication. Efforts to reduce health disparities must be holistic,
addressing the physical, emotional, and spiritual health of individuals and
families. Also important is making connections with community members and
recognizing conditions in the community. Get to know your patients on an
individual level. Not all patients from diverse populations conform to commonly
known culture-specific behaviors, beliefs, and actions. Generalizations in this
material may not apply to your patients
Source: www.stratishealth.org
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