ABSTRACT
Cultural beliefs and attitudes are assimilated as babies and children. Children learn their beliefs about health and illness first from their family and later from their peers. This chapter focuses on the following issues: culture and the family; child-rearing practices across cultures; language and communication; patterns of illness and disease, and good practices when caring for children. The responsibilities in families for decision making, family roles and undertaking certain roles may vary across cultures. Good hygiene practices are essential for health and comfort, but are culturally influenced and often linked to health beliefs. In the early part of the twentieth century, breastfeeding was a working-class practice, mainly because it was cheap. Naming systems generally reflect how family and community life is organised, and this varies widely around the world. Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a severe haemoglobin disorder which is classed as the most common genetic disease in the African region.
