Spiritual_Wellness_Holistic_Health_and_the_Practic

CHAPTER
29
LESSONS FROM
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES:
HEALTH EDUCATION IN
THE GLOBAL VILLAGE
H ELDA P INZON - P EREZ
T he need for cross - cultural interaction and the acknowledgment of the potential for
learning from each other have never been so clear as they are today, thanks to the
Internet and other electronic means, which have practically erased the communication
limits imposed by borders between countries. Immigration issues have become a major
concern for health care systems in industrialized nations. In the United States, the number
of foreign - born residents has reached the highest level in U.S. history. Immigrants
account for 11 percent of the U.S. population, which translates into 28 million residents
of foreign origin (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000).
Gambescia (2002) indicated that health care systems around the world are
undoubtedly affected by each other. In the words of this author, health educators and
health promotion specialists “ must move beyond simply learning about and being
responsive to local culture and ideas and learn how a seemingly distant parochial problem,
from pestilence to war, becomes everyone ’ s global health problem ” (p. 443). In