Personal Health & Identity Paper

Posted: December 22nd, 2022

Personal Health & Identity Paper

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

Personal Health & Identity Paper

The Cultural and Societal Influences, Including Instances of Inequality and Interactions with Other Sociocultural Groups, which Have Shaped the Student’s Identities

People are naturally social beings. It means that the most significant expression of the social nature is that humans have evolved and continue to live in social groups. This simple fact has shaped not only what individuals, particularly students, do but also how their minds have developed to enable them to do it. Social and cultural groups are not just external factors that offer a setting for students’ behavior; they are features that shape their psychology through ability to contribute and internalize their identity or rather the sense of self (Thoman et al., 2019, p. 331). In other words, cultural and societal influences give students a sense of social identity: the understanding that they belong to a certain cultural group. Accordingly, when learners relate to vital social groups in their lives, they embrace equality among religious and community groups, friends and families, national and regional entities, and sports and work teams and do not see their societal and cultural group members as “other” but as “us”.  Therefore, these students psychologically connect to social and cultural entities as groups, well-explained as relational structures in which people engage and that help in defining who humans really are. Students embrace others from different cultural and social groups because they know that doing so enriches their lives in several ways which include emotive bonding, personal safety, intellectual stimulation, social companionship, as well as collaborative learning.

Social inequality among members of different cultures is a result of uneven distribution of resources. It usually happens through the allocation of norms which jeopardize particular patterns along the lines of socially distinct groups of individuals (Schwarzenthal, Schachner, van de Vijver, & Juang, 2018, p. 260). Inequality occurs when there is uneven distribution of social goods caused by sexual orientation, prestige, power, gender, race, class, age, and ethnicity among other factors. During their interaction with other social-cultural groups, students are likely to face inequality which is brought about by the factors mentioned above. For instance, Whites are more favored when it comes to education compared to Blacks. This kind of inequality is related to economic classes. Social-cultural groups give people a sense of belonging, purpose, or place, and these aspects are said to have a positive impact on one’s identity in a way that a person enhances his or her self-worth and self-esteem.  However, cases of inequality can affect students’ well-being as they try to cope with the undesirable impacts of being members of a minority group (Thoman et al., 2019, p. 333). Therefore, other than being other aspects that affect the health of people, social personalities and the idea of “togetherness” are crucial to the well-being and health of students.

Specific Health Risks Associated with Gender and Ethnicity

A person’s identity is defined as one’s knowledge that he or she belongs to a particular social group. It is associated with value and emotional significance as well as a sense of belonging. This part of the discussion gives a detailed analysis of specific health risks linked with the selected identities which are gender and ethnicity. I am a female student of Asian-American descent living with my parents in the U.S. As a minority group, Asian Americans experience health issues which are comparative to other inferior communities in the country. Research carried out within the past 20 years has revealed that this ethnic group is at a high risk of being diagnosed with hepatitis B, diabetes, liver cancer, breast cancer among women, and tuberculosis (Lee & Yeh, 2018, p. 540). The two conditions selected for this discussion are diabetes and breast cancer among women.

One of the specific health risks associated with gender is breast cancer among Asian-American women. As posited by Ramos et al. (2018, p. 258), being a woman is the major risk for developing breast cancer. It is the most common cause of deaths among females in the United States. Recent studies by Morey et al. (2019) reveal that this year, in the U.S, approximately 63,960 cases of non-aggressive breast cancer among women and 266,120 new instances of aggressive breast cancer have been reported. Although men develop the disease, less than one per cent of all new cases occur. Given the increasing rates of breast cancer in several Asian nations, Asian-American immigrant women in the U.S may have higher breast cancer rates compared to the previous years (Morel et al., 2019). Moreover, it is more possible for such female newcomers to be diagnosed with the condition compared to Asian American women born in the country. The high risk is linked to food intake, obesity, physical activity, and reproductive patterns which may trigger some of the geographic and chronological changes in breast cancer age-specific patterns (Gomez, Yao, Kushi, & Kurian, 2019). Ductal carcinoma is the most common type of breast cancer among Asian-American female immigrants, which accounts for more than 80 per cent of all types of breast cancers (Gomez et al., 2019). Lobular carcinoma, which is a cancer that affects the lobes, makes up about 10 per cent of breast cancer reported cases.

The second chosen identity is ethnicity, with diabetes being the highest health risk among the Asian American immigrants. As posited by Nguyen, Nguyen, Fischer, Ha, and Tran, (2015, p. 543), type 2 diabetes is an increasing condition among Asian Americans. According to Lee and Yeh (2018, p. 540), the immigrants of such origin have a high risk of developing the disorder compared to the Whites and the Latinos. Insulin resistance, genetic traits, as well as the high obesity rates among the ethnic group contribute to diabetes risk. The cases are frequent among the group due to poor glycemic control as well as racial inequalities in the U. S healthcare system.  Asian Americans diagnosed with diabetes may show an unusual presentation that simulates diabetes type 1, although their subsequent medical courses show diabetes type 2.  A study by Lee and Yeh (2018, p. 541) showed that close to 16 million citizens in the U.S are diabetic, with 90% having type 2 diabetes. The rate of diabetes is higher among patients aged over 45 years. The increase in the prevalence of the condition among the ethnic group extends to teenagers, children, and military workers. Additionally, the group bears an unequal burden of mortality and morbidity linked with the condition. Therefore, Asian American immigrants diagnosed with diabetes have higher microalbuminuria and retinopathy rates, lower extremity amputation rates, end stage real condition, and mortality rates than white Americans.

Historical, Social, Political, and/or Biological Contexts that Contribute to Breast Cancer and Diabetes

A family history of breast cancer is among the risk factors of the disease. According to medical reports, about five to ten percent of breast cancer cases are related to gene mutations that are passed through family generations.  There are several types of inherited mutated genes that heighten the possibility of the condition. They include BRCA1 (Breast cancer gene 1) and BRCA 2 (breast cancer gene 2). Both of them increase the risk of ovarian and breast cancer.

Biological factors that add to the probability of being diagnosed with breast cancer include old age, inheriting specific genes as the ones mentioned above, being born female, dense breast tissue, and chest radiation among others. Some aspects are linked to personal behaviors like exercise and diet. Drinking alcohol also intensifies the risk of breast cancer as women who consume alcohol daily have a seven to ten per cent risk of being diagnosed with the disease compared to those who do not drink (Morey et al., 2019). Being obese or overweight after menopause also increases the probability of experiencing breast cancer. Other lifestyle choices like not breastfeeding, not having children, hormone therapy after menopause, use of birth control, and breast implants all enhance the risk of being diagnosed with the disease.

Diabetes is a condition plaguing the U.S and highly affecting Asian American immigrants. It is associated with social factors like physical inactivity, obesity, and overweight. Since most Asian Americans are physically inactive, they are likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Often, excess weight leads to insulin resistance, a condition whereby fat cells, liver, and muscles do not use insulin as expected (Nguyen et al., 2015, p. 546). Family history and genes are also risk factors that cause the disorder. Certain genes make people more likely to develop the diseases. Often, diabetes runs in the family, and it is common among ethnic or racial groups, particularly Asian Americans.

Personal and Social Interventions, Including Constructive Interactions between Social Groups, that Could Be Taken to Prevent or Treat the Associated Health Risks

The health disparities among Asian Americans have gained attention from the government only in the last the years, with policy initiatives employed to promote the accessibility of healthcare to the ethnic group gaining prominence even later. The outreach of public health in the country is important in raising awareness among the general public of Asian-American descent in regards to diabetes and breast cancer. For instance, women may benefit from beginning a mammographic screening before the age of 50 (Cuzick, Sestak, & Thorat, 2015, p. 50). However, they must have access to all the information related to the disorders to have the necessary knowledge on time.

Breast cancer treatment keeps getting better with time as death rates associated with the disease have significantly decreased. Personal and social intervention can help prevent and treat breast cancer. One of the methods is maintaining a healthy weight which can be achieved through exercising and choosing a healthy diet. The second mesure is to avoid smoking as it lowers the quality of life and increases the risk of breast cancer. According to Ramos et al. (2018, p. 260), constructive interaction is important in lowering the risk of breast cancer. For example, there are social groups that advocate for breastfeeding for one year or more. In these communities, women encourage others to breastfeed in order to lower breast cancer risk. Other individuals advocate for breast cancer screening for all women; a move that helps detect cancer early when it can be treated.  Social groups also encourage females to find out more information about their family history as those whose relatives have a strong history of cancer can consider special steps to protect themselves.

Other interventions include avoiding birth control pills, especially after 35 years. While contraception is beneficial, pills increase the risk of breast cancer.  Women are also advised to avoid any hormones after they reach menopause as they may also lead to the condition. Treatment includes radiation therapy to kill cancer cells, surgery, also known as mastectomy, to remove the whole breast or the tumor, chemotherapy, which considers taking drugs recommended to kill the cells, hormone therapy to prevent hormones from increasing the growth of cancer cells, and targeted therapy, which is the intake of drugs that prompt the immune system in the body to destroy cancer.

When treating and preventing diabetes among Asian Americans, medics recommend lifestyle changes like eating healthy, losing weight, and being physically active. These measures can significantly control type 1 diabetes and minimize the progression of diabetes type 2. Social groups advocate for these activities that can also decrease other risk factors such as blood cholesterol and high blood pressure which may negatively affect those diagnosed with the condition (Lee & Yeh, 2018, p. 544). In several cases, changes in lifestyle should be supplemented with drugs to control cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, as well as blood sugar levels. This intervention regime may help in preventing stroke and heart attacks. If patients work with their care team to help set personal goals, they can successfully manage the condition.

References

Cuzick, J., Sestak, I., & Thorat, M. (2015). Impact of preventive therapy on the risk of breast cancer among women with benign breast disease. The Breast, 24(2), S51-S55. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4636510/pdf/main.pdf

Gomez, S. L., Yao, S., Kushi, L. H., & Kurian, A. W. (2019). Is breast cancer in Asian and Asian American women a different disease? JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 111(12), 1-2. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/jnci/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jnci/djz091/5489912

Lee, J. R., & Yeh, H. C. (2018). Trends in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes and its association with mortality rates in Asians vs. Whites: Results from the United States National Health Interview Survey from 2000 to 2014. Journal of Diabetes and its Complications, 32(6), 539-544.

Morey, B. N., Gee, G. C., von Ehrenstein, O. S., Shariff-Marco, S., Canchola, A. J., Yang, J., … & Tseng, W. (2019). Higher breast cancer risk among immigrant Asian American women than among US-born Asian American women. Preventing Chronic Disease, 16(20), 1-9. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2019/pdf/18_0221.pdf

Nguyen, T. H., Nguyen, T. N., Fischer, T., Ha, W., & Tran, T. V. (2015). Type 2 diabetes among Asian Americans: Prevalence and prevention. World Journal of Diabetes, 6(4), 543-547. Retrieved from ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4434074/pdf/WJD-6-543.pdf

Ramos, C., Costa, P. A., Rudnicki, T., Maroco, A. L., Leal, I., Guimaraes, R., … Tedeschi, R. G. (2018). The effectiveness of a group intervention to facilitate posttraumatic growth among women with breast cancer. Psychooncology, 27(1), 258-264. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318687313_The_effectiveness_of_a_group_intervention_to_facilitate_posttraumatic_growth_among_women_with_breast_cancer

Schwarzenthal, M., Schachner, M. K., van de Vijver, F. J., & Juang, L. P. (2018). Equal but different: Effects of equality/inclusion and cultural pluralism on intergroup outcomes in multiethnic classrooms. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 24(2), 260-299. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317620861_Equal_but_Different_Effects_of_EqualityInclusion_and_Cultural_Pluralism_on_Intergroup_Outcomes_in_Multiethnic_Classrooms

Thoman, D., Lee, G., Zambrano, J., Geerling, D., Smith, J., & Sansone, C. (2019). Social influences of interest: Conceptualizing group differences in education through a self-regulation of motivation model. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 22(3), 330-355.