Asia And The Pacific Islands

Running Head: Asia and the Pacific Islands 1

Asia and the Pacific Islands

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Asia and the Pacific Islands 2

CULTURE OVERVIEW

Asia is the largest continent in the world and records as the most populated continent.

The intellectual achievements of Asians include martial arts. An example of martial arts is the

great Kung Fu from the Chinese people. Asians had a complicated culture before the emergence

of Europeans to their continent. Historically, most Asian countries had a kingship or empire

system of governance. This governance was ethnically based hence inter-clan relations were

highly limited changes (Osman, 2016). There was hardly any dependence amongst the different

communities. These communities were not obsessed with power but aimed at achieving dignity

and societal status. Before the arrival of Europeans, communities fought against each other

which led to the rise and eventual fall of many dynasties. The Asian people, to-date, have a

strong cultural heritage which is hard to change from and they always want to be associated with

their cultures. They don't convert into other cultures quickly. The Pacific Island's landscape

profoundly determines the culture of its residents. The cultural traits of its inhabitants were

mainly determined by the geographical characteristics of the region. The first inhabitants of the

Pacific Island settled on the high islands where there were plentiful of resources which isolated

them from the rest of the communities (Fischer, 2013). The nearness to the ocean largely

explains the reason behind their cultures, economic integration and settlement pattern i.e. the

ocean is the reason behind the different lingua, isolation of communities, resource-base of

communities and the way communities are governed. Though cultures change over time, most

Pacific Island countries have maintained a male-dominated decision-making system. Papua

Guinea has the most diverse cultural system.

COMMUNICATION

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Language and dialects typically spoken

In the Asian and Pacific islands, there exist over three thousand and two hundred

languages. There are over twenty-eight languages with similar linguistics. The Mandarin

language of the China is most spoken according to the number of people who speak it. Papua

New Guinea speaks over eight hundred different languages in a small population of fewer than

one thousand individuals per language. Since the traditional ages, people settled according to

their linguistic homelands. Each linguistic home often speaks the same language different from

that of other homelands.

Cultural Communication Process

The cultural communication process in Asia varies from country to country due to the

different religions. Asia is proud to have some of the biggest cities in the world, but the largest

population lives in rural areas. Asian countries have also interchanged cultures amongst

themselves according to religion. Interactions between different religions in Asia and Pacific

Island have influenced the type of communication behavior. The heterogeneity of Asian

countries culture makes it fascinating to try and understand how the information is passed from

one person to another. The politics of a country can cause differences of how people

communicate. Since the time of colonialization, people have developed moderate political views.

When people speak in unison politically, the possibility of speaking in one language is very high.

Cultural diversity has widely spread into the Asian nations making them talk in homogeneity

pertaining particular matters of interest. Uniformity in communication is important considering

the vast area covered by Asia. Those similarities and differences between cultures bring about

cultural diversity. Several factors determine the communication process between cultures. These

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include the geographical location of a different culture; the culture of neighboring communities,

and the cultures accept different human races (Samovar et al, 2015). Asian and Pacific island

nations believe that communication is a holy, interdependent network which is always

undergoing a transformation. The Asian and Pacific islands think that harmony should be the

primary objective of communication by promoting cooperation between two or more parties

FAMILY ROLES AND ORGANIZATION

There are continual advancements in the primary roles and organization of families due

to the changing times. Asian families have gone through a lot of changes in structure. These

changes vary in both intensity and nature depending on the age group of individuals and their

genders. Marriage nowadays in Asian communities occurs when the socio-economic status of

people improve. Most young people are postponing their marriages for the public goods provided

in their countries such as education and job opportunities available. Late marriages have proven

to have a slow rate of population growth. Late marriages lead to the delay in giving birth to the

first child and the decrease in the number of children being the correspondent. Giving birth at

late ages can increase complications for the mother and child and also lead downfall of the

economy due to reduced labor supply and tax remittances. In Asia, life goals and objectives

differ between the different genders. Men should always provide for the family while women

should enjoy the very first years of the marriage as housewives. Off late, the number of

marriages are decreasing and most people choosing to remain single. Most families are also

divorcing due to failed marriages. The most affected people in times of divorce are the children.

Divorce occurs mostly to those who marry in their early ages and women are the most affected

(Kumpfer et al, 2015). In ancient Asia, families lived in proximity to their next of kin. Nowadays

people are residing in different physical places as their socio-economic status become more

Asia and the Pacific Islands 5

diverse. People live in households that define their authority, class, and privacy, with most

households being for nuclear families. In the Pacific Island countries, the rural-urban migration

has led to changes in the family organization, because urbanization changes the social-economic

conditions controlling a society. The process of change in Pacific Island has been gradual since

the times of European invasion and colonialization. Europeans introduced new laws governing

land ownership, land inheritance, labor policies and marriage changed the status of both men and

women and their gender relations. Globalization continues to affect the family structure and

organization in Pacific Island Countries. The traditional norm of extended families still exists in

Pacific countries. Gays and lesbians are not accepted in the culture of the Pacific's.'

BEHAVIOURS AND HEALTH

High-Risks and Notable Behaviors

In the Pacific island countries, the most unusual behavior is urbanization, poverty, and

human right violation. Living in urban areas is very costly. Recently, there have been campaigns

to introduce policies that protect women and children against abuse. In Pacific countries, gender

inequality is a norm. Girls are perceived to be adults after their first menstruation cycle. Children

are viewed as gifts from God, though a child has no freedom of expression according to

traditions as they should always be respectful and obedient to the elders. Most countries also

believe in the use of corporal punishment to instill discipline in children. The risk of violence is

also very high if a woman denies her man conjugal rights because men are viewed as being

superior. In Asia, it is notable that youths and the elderly have a high dependency ratio. Asians

have in the recent days migrated to urban areas as they seek greener pastures in an aim to

improve their economic life. The HIV/Aids infections in most of the Asian countries are high.

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Women are not into the labor force in Asia due to the existing traditional policies and norms

(Kumpfer et al, 2015). The low economic growth rates in most Asian countries forces children to

drop out of school and search for jobs.

Health Problems

The main health problems affecting Asians are child mortality, maternal deaths, and

fertility problems. The low levels of economic development have low life qualities. Low

economic development leads to low quality of health life. Countries with low GDP also tend to

have low fertility rates. Asians have a better health record compared with the Pacific Island

countries because Asians have a higher socio-economic life than those from the Pacific. The

most common diseases are heart diseases, diabetes, stroke and low weight of children during

birth. Both Asians and those from the Pacific have low access to health care services (Ekeroma

et al, 2016). The common health problems amongst youths are mental stress e.g. depression

together with high physical activities levels.

Diet

Traditional Asian cuisine's and foods for the Pacific people are very healthy. Salt is

commonly used in Asian foods to make Asian sauces. Asian salt is also good for preserving

food. The best friendly Asian diets include consumption of rice, vegetable oils, whole grains,

legumes, fish, and fruits. Most of the people do not appreciate red meat. Each region has their

cooking styles, food flavors but mostly share common foods. Most Pacific Islanders have

abandoned their traditional foods. They are focusing on food from the west which especially the

processed and packaged food. Most of the Islands people are now becoming overweight and

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obese. There is a deficiency in micronutrients in the area and most individuals in the region are

obese.

Spirituality and Death Rituals

These rituals depend on the religion one believes in. Taking the example of Buddhists,

they believe that religion should bring about peace of mind calmly through a clear way.

Buddhists believe one should not be disturbed by worldly sufferings because their religion is for

the enlightened. Buddhists have a belief that God is in control of everything and what you do

unto others is what will be done unto you. Buddhists get spiritual through meditating or

observing rites as described by their form of Buddhism. According to Buddhists, death is a

transition from one life to another. The rituals done when one dies aim at promoting a good

human rebirth in the next life and ensuring the rebirth is like that of a "king". When a child dies,

rituals are conducted to show special respect to him/her. Upon death, there should be a three-day

moment when the dead person should not be disturbed (Manderson et al, 2012).

HEALTH CARE PRACTICES

Use of Western, Eastern or other Medical Practices

Asians e.g. the Chinese are less knowledgeable on human health and anatomy as most of

the medicines come from the West. Asians have the belief that good health comes from the state

of being in mind with oneself through a peaceful state of mind and that of the surroundings. The

Asians and Those from the Pacific believe everything is interrelated and no matter the

circumstances, what should be must be.

Types of Practitioners utilized

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Most of the medical professionals used in the Asian and Pacific Island include Primary

Health Organizations. These organizations are pivotal in registering citizens together with their

families. Nowadays, people from Asia and the Pacific Island can’t access medicine without prior

prescription from a professional. Drugs like antibiotics led to most people developing resistance

to medication, and the drugs have often been misused. In recent years, doctors are emphasizing

on the need for compliance with the set medication.

Cultural Response to Pain

When in pain, most of the Asian and Pacific Citizen patients use oral traditions of curing

diseases during the early stages of an illness. Medicine from the west is hardly used. A

combination of locally made medicine and frequent consultations with traditional medicine men

is the most common way of responding to any form of illness (Choi, 2013). Most people use

nutrients to ease the effects of the disease. As it is a norm in the world, most people don't comply

with the stated prescriptions.

Considerations for Health Promotion and Planning

To promote health care, provision of healthcare has shifted to patient-centered intensive

care. This care involves understanding the patients' situation. Considering low education levels

and lack of good communication skills in Asia and Pacific Island, it becomes an obstacle for

some patients to express themselves. These residents hardly understand English. Practitioners are

also considering, getting a model which will enable them to know the right age of patients before

prescribing medicine. Practitioners are also encouraging patients to have guardians when seeking

medical help. Also, there is need to involve interpreters when administering medication as

Asians and people from Pacific have low English interpretation rates

Asia and the Pacific Islands 9

Conclusion

There have been changing cultures amongst the Asians and people from Pacific Island

due to globalization and urbanization. Interactions between different cultures can offer learning

experiences amongst people who stay together in a certain environment.

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References

Choi, J. Y. (2013). Reconstruction of health-seeking behaviors a comparative study of three

Asian Pacific immigrant groups. Qualitative health research, 23(4), 517-530.

Fischer, S. R. (2013). A history of the Pacific Islands. Palgrave Macmillan.

Kumpfer, K. L., Pinyuchon, M., Baharudin, R. B., Kannikar, N., & Xie, J. (2015). PARENTING

EDUCATION IN THE ASIAN PACIFIC REGION. Evidence-based Parenting

Education: A Global Perspective, 105.

Ekeroma, A., Biribo, S., Herman, J., Hill, A., & Kenealy, T. (2016). Health Research Systems in

Six Pacific Island Countries and Territories.

Manderson, L., Smith, W., & Tomlinson, M. (Eds.). (2012). Flows of Faith: Religious Reach

and Community in Asia and the Pacific. Springer Science & Business Media.

OSMAN, F. (2016). The Concept of Culture from a Logical and Epistemological Perspective.

Asian Culture and History, 8(2), 72.

Samovar, L. A., Porter, R. E., McDaniel, E. R., & Roy, C. S. (2015). Communication between

cultures. Nelson Education.

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