de the lack of constant exercising, proper hydration, and continuous cleanliness, as well as participation in general medical checkups and examination.
In this regard, there are a host of factors that inevitably result in the lack of or limitation of access to proper nutritional value and health. When delving into the aspect of culture and traditional affiliations, it is critical to note that a majority of cultural practices and/ traditions and essentially linked to the religious aspects of given social settings. Therefore, the need to be considerate of religious input with regard to cultural practices pertaining to nutritional intake and practice is vital (Grant, 1998).
The paper will delve on the influences of cultural ideals and practices, on various populations’ dietary/ nutritional intake. Focus will be on the existing influential factors as well as co-relative factors founded on cultural perspectives and practices. This will encompass prevailing historical belief systems and inclusive practices portrayed, with each culture being explored further in terms of such high-risk behaviors.
Within European contexts, the U.S. is often regarded as the ‘melting pot’ of all cultures, religions and ways of life. As Kittler and Sucher (1999) portray, this is best represented by the diversity portrayed and subsequently experienced in the daily life of American citizens, eventually affecting critical aspects such as socialization, nutritional value intake, political affiliations and ideological perspectives. Looking at high-risk nutritional behaviors, it is worthwhile to note that other aspects of socializations i.e. family/ gender roles, age-group category/ bracket, spiritual beliefs, education, health care practices, physical activities, drug and substance abuse, cultural practices and traditions amongst others, fundamentally influence the nutritional behaviors present within different social contexts.