Abstract
War or religious and ethnic differences has historically resulted in forced migrations. These tragic events do not allow time for planning by either those who must flee for their lives or those who want to provide shelter for the persecuted.
The most recent forced migration has resulted in nearly 1 million people migrating to the United States from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. The admixture of these two diverse cultures is, at times tumultous, and has resulted in misunderstanding in both sectors of the population. For reasons of these cultural differences particularly in the provision of health care, this presentation will address those issues of importance for any medical practitioner caring for patients/clients from Vietnam, Cambodia, or Laos. Actually, the perceived problems are not unique to this forced migration, but serve as a model for any situation which requires surmounting cultural barriers. In order to provide equivalent health care to our new citizens, it is believed essential to understand: 1) Heterogeneity of population involved, 2) Cultural in this instance health beliefs, of the newly arrived population, and 3) method of coping with cultural differences.
An additional presentation will quantify the population differences necessary to provide any special programs for genetic and/ or congenital disorders unique to this, as with any, population sub-group.
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Chea, C., Dumars, K., Loan, B. et al. SOUTHEAST ASIA: THE LAND, THE PEOPLE, AND THE CUSTOMS. Pediatr Res 21 (Suppl 4), 289 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198704010-00730
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198704010-00730