ABSTRACT
An understanding of culture helps to equip the health professional with beliefs and values that give individuals a sense of identity, self-worth and belonging, as well as providing the rules for behaviour. This enables the child or young person to physically survive and provide for the welfare and support of the members of a particular culture and therefore its healthcare system, including the values, beliefs and practices that group members possess about health promotion and illness prevention. Culture can also help establish the cause, detection and treatment of illness. As a result, concepts of health, illness and care are integral parts of general cultural values, beliefs and practices. By the professional recognising her own cultural biases, she can learn about or remove unintentional influences. This awareness process must involve examination of her own prejudices and biases towards diverse groups, as well as an in-depth exploration of her own cultural background.
