Hispanic Medical Marketing: Culture Attitudes and Family Roles | Health

By LindaP.Morton
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Starting a Hispanic medical marketing program makes good sense for many doctors because the USA Hispanic population is growing so rapidly.

More is required for an effective Hispanic medical marketing program than just Spanish language marketing messages. To market effectively to Hispanics, medical providers need to consider cultural attitudes about health and family roles in health care decisions.

Hispanic Medical Marketing Entails Knowing Culture Attitudes About Illness and Heath

Health issues are sensitive within the Hispanic culture and generally kept within the family.

Men rarely discuss health concerns. Women discuss birth control only with family members. Both genders consider it inappropriate to discuss medical concerns with the opposite sex, especially non-family members.

Hispanics use a combination of folk healing and modern medical treatment. They often try less expensive folk healing and see a doctor only after folk healing has failed. This is especially true for the elderly and first generation immigrants from Mexico.

Hispanic folk healing utilizes spiritual and religious ceremonies for overcoming illness and symptoms.

Folk healing concentrates on restoring balance between supernatural and natural forces, hot and cold, and reason and emotions.

Hispanic Medical Marketing Requires Understanding Hispanic Family Structure And It's Influence On Medical Decisions

In Hispanic families, fathers make all financial decisions, including those about health care.

But Hispanic culture places control of children's health care in their mother's hands. She has to have the father's permission to spend the money, but she decides whether to spend it on folk healing or medical treatment.

As respected members of the family who carry some child care duties, elderly family members also have a role in medical decisions for children and may influence the mother's decisions.

Family members often want to be with their loved ones while they are receiving medical treatment.

Hispanic Medical Marketing Through Hispanic Community Involvement Provides The Best Way to Reach Hispanic Families

Many Hispanics don't trust the media and pay little attention to advertisements even in Spanish-language media.

Outreach activities, that promote health through Hispanic community activities, reach Hispanics better and builds trust.

About the Author

For more on Hispanic outreach activities, see Marketing For Medical Practices. Tips on Hispanic Marketing For Doctors

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