Vanderbilt Cultural Contexts of Health and Wellbeing

Cultural contexts affect health and well-being in profound and often hidden ways. We use cultural insights to help improve public health policy and healthcare delivery. We see approaching health from a cultural context as more effective and adequate than the biomedical approaches. Culture gives us a world of possibilities and understanding of people’s why. Our work builds on the WHO/Europe approach to cultural contexts of health, using global cultural contexts and adapting them to a Western context. Each year, we focus on a theme and have the privilege of speaking with experts worldwide and conducting literature reviews. We aim to use this research to influence policymakers on more effective approaches in their work that include people from various cultures. Our work ensures that all people are seen and their voices are heard in the public health sphere

Our Co-PI, Edward (Ted) Fischer joined the @RWJF Foundation Forum to discuss our latest report on rethinking childhood. He says we should rethink childhood, perhaps we need to challenge our own perceptions and biases. Allowing children the freedom to explore their world without rigid constraints builds resilience and fosters their natural growth. It's important to let children grow as they are, rather than shaping them to fit a particular mold. Cultural conceptions heavily influence how we view child development—remnants of colonial-era thinking, such as the belief that children need strict discipline, isolation, and control, still persist today and create an unhealthy environment for children. Instead of enforcing dependency, we should embrace the shift toward interdependency, nurturing children's autonomy and empowering them to thrive in a supportive environment. https://bit.ly/423BOBm. #ChildDevelopment #CulturalContext #YouthEmpowerment #RethinkingChildhood #GrowthAndResilience

📢 Students from Meharry, Vanderbilt & TSU Are you doing research relevant to health equity?! Submit your work for the 3rd Annual Health Equity Poster Session. Submissions are open through Oct 18. and a 💵 prize will be awarded to the top 3 winners! Read the judging criteria and/or submit here: https://lnkd.in/e26JXk7G #Meharry #Vanderbilt #TSU #TennesseeState #VUMC #Research #HealthEquity #HealthEquityResearch #PosterCompetition #NashvilleResearch #CKM #CKMPosterSession #StudentResearch

We are thrilled for our World Health Organization advisor, Dr. Fietje, to share insights on how art exposure can enhance health and well-being! Join us for this exceptional talk – hope to see you there! #ArtAndHealth #Wellbeing

Public health authorities, global partners and WHO experts have issued a call for action to accelerate the use of Behavioural and Cultural Insights (BCI) as an evidence-based and systematic approach that enables, supports and promotes positive health behaviours. The call for action is published in the form of a statement results from WHO Regional Office for Europe first regional meeting on BCI for health held last year. Read the full meeting statement in Elsevier’s Public Health in Practice journal: https://lnkd.in/ehzv2b2w Dihub For key highlights, check out WHO/Europe’s news release: https://lnkd.in/e9tJvZrQ #BCI #PublicHealth #HealthInnovation #BehaviouralScience

As the nation's first and only School of Global Health, Meharry Medical College is breaking new ground in the fight to eliminate global health inequities. The School of Global Health at Meharry is taking a transformative path, by embracing a multidisciplinary and multi-sectoral approach, the school is set to revolutionize health and economic improvement worldwide. We applaud Meharry for their vision and commitment to global health. Here's to a future of groundbreaking advancements and meaningful impact! #GlobalHealth #HealthEquity #PublicHealth

As we continue highlighting Asthma, let's stand up for asthma patients and fight for clean neighborhoods! Companies often put their industrial plants in low-income areas because the land is cheaper. Unfortunately, that affects the air quality and creates health issues such as Asthma. Our advocacy should start with fighting for industrial sites and wastelands to be located away from neighborhoods to lessen pollutants and health hazards. #HealthEquity #HealthDisparities #AsthmaAwareness #WorldAsthmaDay2024

As we observe World Asthma Day, it is crucial to recognize that asthma affects black and brown communities more than others. This is not just about personal health—it reflects larger social and environmental injustices that need urgent attention. Environmental factors play a significant role in making asthma worse, especially for black children who often live in areas with much pollution from factories and highways. Climate change worsens things by changing weather patterns, leading to more allergens like pollen and mold that trigger asthma attacks. Unfortunately, these effects hit low-income and marginalized communities the hardest, as they often lack the resources to deal with them. Institutional racism adds to these problems, making it harder for people in these communities to get decent housing and healthcare. This creates a cycle where people don't get the care they need, leading to worse health outcomes. Black families mostly make up low-income housing tenants, and the housing authority fails them in ways that affect their health. Low-income housing inspection ratings have gone down, and the owners of the properties do not receive the consequences they deserve, leaving people living in cosmetically updated homes with hazardous issues behind them. There's also a big problem with how little money goes into preventing asthma compared to treating it. And access to healthcare is still a big issue, especially for African American and Latinx children who face many barriers to getting the care they need. There are some programs, like the American Lung Association's HBCU Breathe Well, Live Well on Campus, that help students of color learn how to manage their asthma better. But we need bigger changes, like better healthcare access, less pollution in predominately black and brown communities, and more support for preventing asthma in the first place. On World Asthma Day, let's not just talk about the problem—let's take action to make sure everyone has the resources they need to breathe easy.

#HappyEarthDay We are thankful for those fighting for clean water, as it is a right for ALL communities! #CleanWaterForAll #WaterJustice #WaterEquality

We are excited about this talk on Black Bioethics hosted by the Tuskegee Bioethics Center. Our Decolonizing Health Project and Black Bioethics have a few similarities that are pertinent to the needed change in health disparities that the black and brown communities face. Register here! https://lnkd.in/eP2CS65N Black bioethics was started to address the medical racism and abuse done to black people, such as their bodies being experimented on. Unfortunately, for decades, dating back to slavery, black people have not had a voice about their bodies or health. To this day, black people often feel unheard by their physicians, which has led to misdiagnoses, lack of necessary care, wrong prescriptions, and a high number of maternal deaths. The doctor's office is supposed to be a safe space for patients, and unfortunately, it is a place that most black people want to avoid as their providers often ignore them. Our team and people within black bioethics aim to address poor health outcomes and highlight the people and communities who are often ignored.