Creolization of Louisiana
I am of Creole descent from New Orleans, Louisiana—the term “Creole” is defined by the complexity of Louisiana’s cultural mix and southern regional differences, which coincidentally has many varieties in meaning (Dubois & Malancon 2000). Over time, Creole has generated some difficulty in determining one’s actual race, culture, and heritage. During the sixteenth century, Creole acknowledged the descendants of French, Spanish and Portuguese settlers living in the West Indies and Latin America (Dubois & Malancon 2000). However, as Creole populations established within the United States by way of European colonial expansion, the term acquired an array of meanings based on social, political, racial and economic identities.…show more content… As a theory, it explains and predicts health behaviors by focusing on the attitudes and beliefs of individuals, which is exemplified by the association between Creole food choices in Louisiana and the alarming rates of coronary artery disease, type II diabetes mellitus, and obesity. As mentioned before, traditional Creole foods like gumbo, jambalaya, fried fish and seafood, etouffee, and bread pudding are extremely high in fat, sodium, and cholesterol content, which also describes the nutritional value of foods typically eaten by people of low socio-economic status. Thus by using the Health Belief Model, Creole food patterns and behaviors can be measured by the aggressive increase of chronic illness in Louisiana as a way to determine future positive health education, promotion and practices.
According to Skinner, Tiro & Champion (2015) the Health Belief Model comprises various primary constructs (i.e. susceptibility, severity, benefits, barriers, cues to action, and self-efficacy) that predict whether, why and/or why not people will take action to prevent, detect, or control illness conditions. The idea is that people are more likely to engage in a behavior if they…show more content… Because most eating selections are enrooted in Creole cultural practices, and most food choices are made on the basis of low socio-economic status, minority populations in Louisiana are less likely to participate in optimal health regimes. Hence, the goal of the Health Belief Model, as it pertains to Louisiana, would be to develop culturally appropriate and financially savvy health programs that promote reduced health risks and comprehensive access to care in its
