Parenting Cultures
Source: Small, 1998, p. 108


Parents in different cultures believe they have some influence on the development of their child, but how much influence varies from culture to culture. Healthcare providers should remember that every act by parents, every goal that molds that act, has a foundation in what is appropriate for that particular culture. In this sense, no parenting style is "right" and no style is "wrong." It is appropriate and inappropriate only according to the culture.

Childhood Socialization
Source: Asante, 1991, p. 12
African American children are socialized in the home, but outside organizations, such as the church, often play an important role. Parents depend upon other family members to chastise, instruct, and discipline their children, particularly if the family members live in proximity and the children know them well. Socialization takes place through rites and celebrations that grow out of religious or cultural observances.

Health Status: Asthma
Source: Thorton, 1999, pp. 32-37
Several studies have shown that black children have more frequent hospitalizations and are four to six times more likely to die from asthma than white children. Poverty, lack of education, inadequate access to health care, lack of asthma knowledge and management skills, and exposure to environmental allergens may all contribute to asthma morbidity and mortality.

Financial burdens, disrupted family and work life, and emotional trauma can take a toll on the health and well-being of the entire family and impose limitations on everyone, not just the individual with asthma. The cost of treating asthma, especially uncontrolled asthma, is staggering, and asthma can be devastating if not controlled.

The problem is compounded for an African American child if the family does not have health insurance and lives in a poor urban environment. The complexity of managing this disease increases substantially with poverty. Not only do poor families lack the resources to manage the disease, but they also have to deal with other issues of survival that must take precedence. Therefore, the family may not recognize asthma as a problem until it has reached a crisis level.