Jay and Sue Kim, ages 29 and 26 years and married for 2 years,immigrated from South Korea and settled in Los Angeles. They have livedin a small one-bedroom apartment since their arrival. Both graduatedfrom the same Korean university with baccalaureate degrees in Englishliterature. They have one child, Joseph, age 1 year. When they arrivedin the United States, Jay was unable to find a job because of his poorproficiency in English, despite his major in English literature. Heeventually obtained a job with a moving company through a church friend.Sue is not working because of their son. Although the Kim’s did notattend a church before immigration, they are now regularly attending aKorean Protestant church in their neighborhood.

Sue is pregnantagain, determined by a home pregnancy kit, with their second child andconcerned about the medical costs. They did not use any contraceptivesbecause she was breastfeeding. Because of financial limitations, Sue didnot initially have prenatal care with her first pregnancy. However, shedid keep up with the Korean traditional prenatal practice, tae-kyo.Eventually, she received help from her church and delivered a healthyson. She is not sure whether she can get financial help from her churchagain but is confident that her second child will be healthy if shefollows the Korean traditional prenatal practices.

Jay isconcerned about job security because he recently heard from colleaguesthat the moving company might soon go bankrupt. Although Jay has notbeen satisfied with his current job (he thinks that he isoverqualified), this news is still a cause for concern. Moreover, Sue’srecent pregnancy has made Jay more stressed, and he has started drinkingalcohol. Joseph cannot stand up by himself and still wants to bebreastfed. Although Sue has tried to give foods such as oranges, apples,steamed rice, and milk (because she is now pregnant), Joseph refuses toeat them and cries for breastfeeding. Joseph’s weight is low-normal forsame-age babies.

1. Describe the Korean cultural practice tae-kyo. Is this practice congruent with allopathic recommendations for prenatal care?
2. How do food choices among Koreans differ with pregnancy and postpartum?
3. Describe cultural attitudes toward drinking among Koreans.
4. Identify two or three culturally congruent strategies a healthcare provider might use to address Jay’s drinking.