Chapter 10: Gastrointestinal System
Eunice Abudu
Background
Human anatomy is the same across the globe, despite the cultural variation in skin pigmentations, religions, dietary considerations, and socioeconomic status, which affects food access and security. Gastrointestinal/abdominal assessment correlates with dietary intake. Because diet is essentially a part of ethnicity, a patient’s culture must be considered in gathering subjective data in addition to the objective assessments.
The Social Determinants of Health in Relation to Gastrointestinal Health
- The research by Tarraf et al. (2017) stated that many Canadian immigrants arrive in a healthy state, then slowly decline within their first several years in Canada. One of the causes of this decline is diet and food insecurity (Terraf et al., 2017). Food insecurity, along with poor nutrition, can lead to obesity. Obesity, in turn, is a risk factor in developing heart disease, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, and various types of cancer (Tarraf et al., 2017). The physical and social determinants of health are therefore strongly related to food. The quality and quantity of food individuals consume greatly affects their health status, which is key to productivity and prosperity (Tarraf et al., 2017).
- Murphy (2017) asserted that food is medicine. It should be a part of health care and calls for action to leaders in health care to build healthy food and nutrition culture within institutions and across systems.
- In parts of the world where there is no free access to health care, individuals cannot visit the doctor’s office without a hefty cost involved. This deters low-income individuals from seeking medical attention. It also limits their access to teaching about health promotion and prevention, which leads to further discrimination against them.
Culturally Responsive Practice Points for Health Care Providers
- Health care providers (HCPs) should pay attention to the distinct cultural considerations in the relationship between abdominal assessment and dietary intake. Gbareen et al. (2021) stated that during a subjective nutritional assessment, HCPs should be aware of the influence of culture on the dietary intake of each patient.
- During hospitalization, nutrition plays a vital role in recuperation. Hospital food can appear unpalatable to racialized patients who are not familiar with (or don’t enjoy) Western foods. HCPs can encourage families and loved ones to bring nutritious, familiar foods for the patients to eat. This should be a collaborative process between the family and HCPs to ensure that any dietary restrictions related to the disease process are adhered to. The advantages and disadvantages of encouraging families to provide familiar foods are as follows:
- Advantage: Patients can enjoy their familiar, ethnic food while in hospital and maintain a nutritionally balanced diet. Patients may recover quicker due to balanced nutrition.
- Disadvantages: Ethnic foods can pose a challenge for pa