The information in this section is not intended as a recipe for the treatment of individual patients of any cultural group. The brief summaries of behaviors and beliefs generally attributable to some members of four broad populations—each of which comprises numerous diverse groups—is meant to provide an additional level of understanding about the cultural background of these populations, which may prove helpful to the caregiver.

Caregivers must explore the health-related beliefs and practices of each patient individually. The degree to which the information in this section may be true for each patient will be heavily influenced by social and economic factors, educational background of the patient and the patient's family, urban vs. rural origin, level of acculturation to the life and ways of the United States, length of time in the United States, and many other cultural, social, and individual factors.

The population groups discussed in this section are broadly labeled African Americans, American Indians, Asians, and Hispanics. In some ways, these terms conceal more than they reveal. As we will discuss, each group comprises within it many different cultures, nationalities, histories, and heritages. Statistically, these labels and categories are useful organizers of beliefs and traits with more similarities than differences; however, the caregiver must remember that statistics do not apply to individuals.