A PAPER PRESENTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF NURSING

SCIENCE, FACULTY OF CLINICAL SCIENCES, COLLEGE OF

MEDICINE, IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF BACHELOR OF
NURSING SCIENCE DEGREE (BNSC) OF UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS.

LECTURER: Dr. Florence Folami

COURSE: NSC403

TOPIC: Socio-cultural and religious influences on CHILD HEALTH

PROMOTION.
CHILD HEALTH PROMOTION

Includes activities that help to improve the physical, mental and social wellbeing of a child,

as well as maintaining them in a stable condition.

Promoting the health of children requires a nurse to understand socio-cultural and religious

influences on children and their families. This is because patients experience negative health

outcomes when these factors are not considered as relating to their health care.

1. Socio-cultural Influences

These are customs, lifestyle and values that characterize a society. They would be discussed

under the following:

Culture: Culture is often defined by the ideas, beliefs, and values coupled with the rituals

and practices of social groups, including but not limited to families. The relationship of

culture to health outcomes of children is particularly significant. Culture affects health in

many ways. One is by promoting daily activities and routines that reflect culturally defined

goals and values that interact and influence developmental processes, inclusive of health.

These routines can include, for example, health-promoting habits such as culturally

prescribed foods and activities that provide adequate nutrition and caloric intake or patterns

of mother-infant interaction. Culture also affects health by providing caregivers, and

eventually children themselves with an understanding of development and health: culture

offers the context for defining what is a problem, explaining why the problem exists,

providing possible treatments, and indicating who should respond. Similarly, culture also

provides a framework for the use of home remedies. An example is Cupping, a practice used

by various cultures including Chinese, Arabic, and Jewish, involves attaching cups on one’s

back and creating a vacuum to evacuate a malady and increase blood flow to the region,

leaving marks that can be confused with the result of trauma to the area. Similarly, coining is

the practice of rubbing the edge of a coin on one’s skin as a treatment for an illness.
Family: Families are fundamental to children’s well-being and have a profound direct and

indirect influence on the challenges they encounter and the resources available for their

needs. The range of needs is broad and includes material resources, time, interpersonal

connections, and institutions that parents and communities may use to promote children’s

development. Family influences include both family demography and processes. Family

demography consists of the readily measured facts of family life—composition (e.g., one

versus two biological parents), financial status, and parental education. Family processes

consist of the ways in which family influences operate to affect children’s well-being. They

include parenting styles, the provision of family environments, and health habits that may be

beneficial or detrimental to children’s health.

These affect the ability of the parents to seek medical help for the sick child, as well of the

quality of medical help received; and improve the wellbeing of the well child.

Community: there is considerable evidence that community conditions can affect children’s

healthy development, especially in the case of children growing up in the most dangerous and

socially disorganized communities. Community influences can originate in neighbourhoods,

schools, or other organizations and can operate through children’s peer groups, the adults

with whom children come into contact, or the larger set of social and cultural practices in

neighbourhoods.

Socioeconomic Status: The health and development of poor children are compromised

relative to children living in higher income families. Mortality from infectious diseases is 2.5

times more common and accidental deaths are twice as common among children in the

poorest as among children in the poorest as among the richest 10 percent of most observed

populations. Overall mortality and cancer-related mortality in the US are twice as high

among the lowest income quintile compared with the highest income quintile.

Underlying most explanations for the link between low socioeconomic status and impaired
health are the diminished resources available to families living in poverty.

2. RELIGION

The primary focus here is on the effect of religion on the overall health and psychological

health of the child.

The general finding is that religious beliefs and participation among children/youths are

associated with better health status.

Religion can have positive effects on youth health status directly through influencing

the children and indirectly through influencing their parents’ behaviour by means of

regulative, social, and psychological mechanisms. On the one hand, religion in general tends

to discourage unhealthy behaviour and excessive behaviours that in moderate form may not

be unhealthy or in some cases may even be beneficial (e.g. alcohol consumption). Some

religious denominations prohibit consumption of potentially harmful substances (e.g.

Mormons prohibit alcohol and tobacco consumption). On the other hand, some religions or

religious denominations prohibit their members from using some services of doctors and

hospitals (e.g. Christian Scientists).

While this may not have had negative health consequences in the past, it may do so today.

Some religions discourage blood transfusions, vaccinations, contraception, and abortions, the

avoidance of which may have adverse health consequences.

Religious participation is usually done in a group context and thus involves social
relationships and the formation of networks. Such groups may moderate unhealthy behavior,

enhance one’s business and marital prospects, and provide friendship and social support in

time of emotional or medical need. Family participation is typical in religious activities, as

distinct from other groups (e.g. junior soccer leagues, bowling leagues, book clubs) that tend

to separate or segregate people by age. Thus, if the whole family practices the same religion,

religious activities can serve to strengthen ties among family members. Moreover, religious

participation can have beneficial psychological effects. Religion

can improve psychological health through increased self-esteem, deliverance from anxiety

about after life, and finding meaning in life, although religion can also increase feelings of

guilt and fear.

Thus, family out-of-pocket expenditures and time investments in religion and

religious human capital –“familiarity with a religion’s doctrines, rituals, traditions, and

members” that enhances the appreciation/satisfaction from participation in religious activities

may have the effect of increasing child health status, even if this was not the intent of these

activities, or it may worsen children’s psychological health outcomes if the child feels peer-

rejection or embarrassment.

REFERENCES

https://www.nap.edu/read/10886/chapter/5#81

National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, 1995b.

Abbotts, J. A., Williams, R. G. A., Sweeting, H.N., and West, P.B. (2004). Is going to church

good or bad for you? Denomination, attendance and mental health of children in West

Scotland. Social Science & Medicine, 58, 645-56.

Azzi, C., Ehrenberg, R.G. (1975) Household allocation of time and church attendance.

Journal of Political Economy, 83, 27–56.

Benson, P. L., Roehlkepartain, E. C., and Rude, S. P. (2003) Spiritual development in

childhood and adolescence: Toward a field of inquiry. Applied Developmental Science, 7,

205–13.

Borowsky, I.W., Ireland, M., and Resnick, M.D. (2001) Adolescent suicide attempts: risks

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