Promotion of Cultural Healthcare Organizations in Improving Efficiency and Effectiveness

Interdisciplinary Studies
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Interdisciplinary Studies
The proposed research question is: Is the promotion of cultural healthcare organizations critical to improving their efficiency and effectiveness? The primary area of study is public administration & cultural aspects in health behavior. In contrast, the secondary area of study is communication theory and practices & the history of slavery and servitude of the western world.
Bibliographic Citation
Buse, C., Martin, D., & Nettleton, S. (2018). Conceptualising “materialities of care”: making visible mundane material culture in health and social care contexts. Sociology of Health & Illness, 40(2), 243–255. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9566.12663
The purpose of the study was to examine material practice across various healthcare settings, focusing on emergent, enduring, and processual connections between materials and care, over and above, clinical practice. A literature review (qualitative research methodology) of materialities within health and illness sociology was conducted to investigate the effect of material culture in healthcare environments. The study revealed significant dialogue between materials and health care practices, environments, and discourses of health. Several disciplines represented in the study are health sciences, sociology, history, psychology, biological and physical sciences, and anthropology. The disciplinary insights gained from the source relate to the significance of the material environment on clinical practice and outcome and patients’ perceptions of health care delivery. Some of the disciplinary theories discussed include social theory and health, archaeological theory, actor-network theory, and the health belief model. The study supports my primary area of the study research topic by illustrating how visual and cognitive perception influence power relations, therapeutic initiatives, and patient perceptions of health care.
Eley, N. T., Namey, E., McKenna, K., Johnson, A. C., & Guest, G. (2019). Beyond the Individual: Social and Cultural Influences on the Health-Seeking Behaviors of African American Men. American Journal of Men’s Health, 13(1), 155798831982995. https://doi.org/10.1177/1557988319829953
The purpose of the study was to explore the social and cultural influences of being an African American male on health-seeking behaviors. Focus groups (qualitative research method) were conducted with African American men where data on social and normative experiences about health care and health-seeking behavior was collected. The study determined that family, upbringing, culture, and peers were the main social and cultural factors influencing health-seeking behavior among African American men. The disciplines represented in the study include sociology, health sciences, psychology, anthropology, African American studies, and health science. Some of the disciplinary theories discussed in the study are sociocultural theory, minority group-threat theory, behavior change model, social cognitive theory, and social-ecological model. The disciplinary insights gained from the source relate to the influence of social networks, upbringing, and culture in health-seeking behavior. The study supports my primary area of the study research topic by highlighting how cultural gender norms and social networks work to promote or impede health-seeking behaviors among ethnic groups.
Handler, J. S., & Reilly, M. C. (2017). Contesting “White Slavery” in the Caribbean. New West Indian Guide, 91(1-2), 30–55. https://doi.org/10.1163/22134360-09101056
The purpose of the study was to investigate the sociological differences between indentureship and slavery and so disprove narratives of white slavery that conflate the two forms of servitude. A literature review (qualitative research method) of the primary sociological distinctions between slavery and servitude was conducted along with implications of the same as uniquely relates to Africans and their posterities. The study determined that servitude and chattel slavery were similar but distinct forms of servitude, and conflating the two discredits the worse experiences of enslaved Africans in the Americas. Several of the disciplines represented in the study are sociology, anthropology, history, and Southern Studies. The disciplinary insights gained from the source relate to the major sociological distinctions between slavery and indentureship and how the same impacts understanding the slave experience. Some of the disciplinary theories discussed in the study include the progressive conflict theory, functionalist theory, and modern slavery theory. The study supports my secondary area of the study research topic by illustrating the major sociological differences between slavery and servitude related to the western world’s servitude.
Hardy, L. J., Mana, A., Mundell, L., Neuman, M., Benheim, S., & Otenyo, E. (2021). Who is to blame for COVID-19? Examining politicized fear and health behavior through a mixed methods study in the United States. PLOS ONE, 16(9), e0256136. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256136
The purpose of the study was to investigate sociocultural responses to the coronavirus, over and above, compare individual responses to the pandemic across political divides in the United States. Semi-structured interviews (qualitative research method) were distributed countrywide to collect data from people living in America. The study determined that the manner in which people perceive the nation, politics, as well as pandemic management differed across political leanings and contributed to the comprehension of health behavior dimensions and surge in conspiracy theories in public health. Several disciplines represented in the study include sociology, psychology, economics, political science, epidemiology, and health science. The disciplinary insights gained from the source relate to the influence of political leanings in assessing government handling of the pandemic and on health behaviors. Some of the disciplinary theories discussed in the study are political cue theory, displacement theory, feature theories, theory of planned behavior, and the health belief model. The study supports my primary area of the study research topic by illustrating how different cultural and political beliefs about the pandemic and the actions of governing bodies influence the adoption of positive and negative health behaviors.
Holman, D., Lynch, R., & Reeves, A. (2017). How do health behaviour interventions take account of social context? A literature trend and co-citation analysis. Health: An Interdisciplinary Journal for the Social Study of Health, Illness, and Medicine, 22(4), 389–410. https://doi.org/10.1177/1363459317695630
The purpose of the study was to empirically evaluate the degree to which, as well as in what ways, the health behavior intervention field has considered the social environment. A bibliometric method (quantitative research method) was used to examine the social context of the health behavior intervention field. The study determined that most health behavior interventions tend to assume individualized approaches with little interdisciplinary collaboration from the social science discipline. Several disciplines represented include sociology, psychology, economics, statistics, and health science. The disciplinary insights gained from the source relate to the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, especially the need to factor in social sciences in developing health behavior interventions. Some of the disciplinary theories discussed are social cognitive theory, theory of planned behavior, the health belief model, and interdisciplinary theory. The study supports my primary area of the study research topic by highlighting the need for interdisciplinary collaboration in developing health behavior interventions and deviating from the traditional assumption that health is a matter of personal responsibility.
Hyland-Wood, B., Gardner, J., Leask, J., & Ecker, U. K. H. (2021). Toward effective government communication strategies in the era of COVID-19. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 8(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-020-00701-w
The purpose of the study was to investigate crisis communications strategy during a prolonged pandemic and therefore identify the critical features of effective government crisis communication. A literature review (qualitative research method) of pandemic communications related to public trust, transparency, and civic engagement was conducted to develop best practices in crisis communication. The study determined that the most critical features of effective government crisis communication include clarity, credibility, empathy, honesty, pragmatism, health literacy, and empowerment, among others. Several disciplines represented are sociology, mass communication, technology, public administration, public policy, and political philosophy. The disciplinary insights gained from the source relate to best practices in effective crisis communication in the era of prolonged pandemics. Some of the disciplinary theories discussed in the study are public relations theory, stakeholder theory, communication theory, and crisis and emergency risk communication (CERC) theory. The study supports my secondary area of the study research topic by enumerating the critical features of effective crisis communication to facilitate meaningful engagement with the public.
Jia, Y., Gao, J., Dai, J., Zheng, P., & Fu, H. (2017). Associations between health culture, health behaviors, and health-related outcomes: A cross-sectional study. PLOS ONE, 12(7), e0178644. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0178644
The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between demographic characteristics, workplace health culture, health behaviors, and health-related outcomes in Chinese workplaces. A cross-sectional survey (quantitative research method) was used to gather data from employees across ten administrative offices and six enterprises. The study determined that health-conscious workplace culture was associated with positive health behaviors, self-rated health, and happiness. Age and income were also shown to directly and positively link with self-rated health and healthy behaviors. Several of the disciplines represented in the study include epidemiology, psychology, sociology, economics, leadership studies, and statistics. The disciplinary insights gained from the source relate to the connection between workplace health culture, workplace leadership, and individuals’ self-rated health, along with individual health behaviors and demographic characteristics. Some of the disciplinary theories discussed include the health belief model, behavior change model, social cognitive theory, theory of reasoned action, social-ecological model, and health behavior theory. The study supports my primary area of the study research topic by investigating the links between culture and health, especially the relationships between workplace health culture and health behaviors (smoking and physical activity), mental health, self-rated health, and health-related outcomes.
Johnson, S. C. (2020). U.S. Education and the Persistence of Slavery. Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy, 17(1), 5–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/15505170.2019.1618757
The purpose of the study was to investigate the manifestations of slavery as an institution in American academia about the academic underachievement of Black students. A literature review (qualitative research method) of the historical context of slavery and its forms in America’s education system was conducted to deliberate progress on reducing the widening academic gap between white students and minority students. The study determined that the ideology of slavery continues to persist in American schools in the form of racist education policies that disadvantage Black learners. Several of the disciplines represented in the study are sociology, anthropology, history, African American studies, and Southern Studies. The disciplinary in...