As of 2022, nearly 63.6 million Hispanics/Latinos lived in the United States, making up over 19% of the total population. Discussions about health in the community often focus on disparities, but this focus overlooks a crucial element: the powerful cultural values that can serve as beacons of strength for health and wellness.
Honoring these passed down traditions is not just about cultural sensitivity. Integrating traditional and modern approaches is a clever strategy, a way to improve health outcomes.
At The 3rd Eye, we look beyond statistics and explore core cultural values that shape health decisions within Hispanic communities. Principles like family-centricity, personal connection, and faith can help build healthier lives and better healthcare partnerships.
Core Cultural Values Shaping Hispanic Health & Wellness
Several core values affect how many Hispanic Americans perceive health, approach illness, and engage with health care. While the Hispanic community is not a monolith, these themes are common threads across many backgrounds, including Mexican Immigrants, Puerto Ricans, and Central and South Americans.
These are just starting points, a framework to get to know the hispanic consumer. Always make an effort to understand your community’s specific priorities.
Familismo: The Centrality of Family in Health Decisions
Familismo or familism (Magallon 2024) describes the deep importance of the family unit. In many Hispanic cultures, the family is the central unit of identity and support. Health decisions are often made collectively, with input from spouses, parents, and even adult children. Although in many cases, the mother is the Chief Medical Officer of the family — making sure everyone’s health is in check, usually before considering her own.
Family members are often active participants in appointments and treatment plans. We may chat about the best course of action for abuela‘s treatment, or decide who takes care of our sobrino with a broken bone while his parents work. This can give people a built-in support system, encouraging preventive care and offering emotional support during illness.
Leveraging Familismo for Healthier Lifestyles
This strong family bond promotes group health. Families can commit to healthier habits together, such as cooking nutritious meals, going for walks, or ensuring everyone attends their annual check-ups. When one person is diagnosed with a condition like diabetes or hypertension, the entire family can adapt their lifestyle in solidarity. This collective effort enhances motivation and ensures long-term adherence to positive changes.
Personalismo and Respeto: Building Trust in Healthcare Relationships
Personalismo (Davis et al 2021) emphasizes the value of warm, personal relationships over impersonal, sanitized ones. For many Latinos, a trusted relationship with a Spanish-speaking health care provider can be more influential than the reputation of the clinic itself. This desire for connection is linked to respeto (respect), which involves showing deference to authority figures like doctors. Building rapport and showing genuine care are crucial for establishing the trust needed for effective medical care.
We can help consumers actively foster personalismo by giving opportunities for them to prepare for appointments and communicate their values. You may ask them to write down questions, listen to any concerns about language barriers, and listen when they share information about traditional remedies they may be using. Improved health literacy and open dialogue empower patients to become active partners in their own care.
Spirituality and Faith: A Source of Strength and Coping
Faith and spirituality are often central to life and play a significant role in coping with illness (Cruz et al 2022, Magallon 2024). For many in the Latino community, prayer and religious belief provide comfort, hope, and resilience in the face of health challenges. This spiritual foundation can influence decisions about medical treatments and end-of-life care. To provide culturally competent care, you must first acknowledge and respect the spiritual beliefs of hispanic consumers.
Many Hispanic cultures maintain traditional beliefs about health that coexist with modern medicine. This can include the use of herbal remedies (remedios caseros) or even consultation with traditional healers (curanderos) (Cruz et al 2022). These practices are not necessarily a rejection of modern healthcare but part of a blended, holistic approach to well-being.
A holistic approach that honors both traditional wisdom and modern science can lead to better health outcomes — like drinking chamomile tea to soothe an upset stomach while also taking prescribed medication.
Considering these views helps prevent misunderstandings and allows providers to integrate care plans that respect the individual’s entire belief system.
Hispanic Paradox?
These tendencies combined could explain the hispanic paradox, what Sandoval calls the “contradiction between the disadvantaged status of most Hispanics and their long life span” (2024). A theory developed in the 80s, it’s not without its challenges. Fascinating as this paradox is, it’s possible its impact has been waning in the last few years (NIH 2023).
Cultivating Cultural Competence and Empathy
The Health & Wellness industry needs to prioritize cultural competence. This goes beyond translation services. It means learning about the values of familismo and personalismo. It requires asking patients about their beliefs with respect. It demands effort to build trusting relationships. Employing a diverse workforce and including more Spanish-speaking health care providers is just a start — yet critical for breaking down language and cultural barriers.
The cultural values embedded within the Hispanic community are not obstacles to health; they are powerful assets. Familismo provides an unparalleled support network, personalismo fosters healing relationships, and faith offers profound resilience. By shifting the focus from disparities to strengths, we can unlock a more effective and empowering approach to health and wellness.
Creating a healthcare system that truly serves the Hispanic population requires a commitment to honoring its cultural diversity. When individuals feel seen, respected, and understood: trust is built, communication improves, and health outcomes follow. By embracing these cultural cornerstones, we can build a future where every member of the Latino community has the opportunity to achieve their best possible health.
Our Approach: Honoring, Understanding, and Empowering Health Outcomes
Our approach to bridge the gap between healthcare brands and Hispanic communities is rooted in cultural insight – recognizing the cultural nuances that influence health decisions.
First, we honor the rich traditions that define Hispanic culture. In an office representing a diverse range of them, this knowledge is both inherent and founded by relevant research.
Second, we seek to understand how these values influence health behaviors and interactions with the healthcare system. There may be overlap, but you must individually assess each community you serve to ensure that generalizations don’t cloud your judgment.
Finally, we aim to empower both the Hispanic communities and healthcare professionals to use this cultural knowledge to foster better communication, building trust and improving health outcomes all around.
