Topic: Health Promotion for Multi-Cultural Populations

Description: [?]
Preferred language style: English (U.S.)

Cultural Competence & Cultural Tailoring
Culture & Acculturation
Acculturation = degree to which an ethnic group has adopted the attitudes, values and behaviors of a host country (e.g., U.S.)
Measuring Acculturation
What kinds of things change when a person from another country adopts the lifestyle (values, attitudes, behaviors) of a new country?
Language
Food
Friends
Identity
Media
Fashion
Framework for Acculturation

Cultural Orientation of Health Professionals
Do you think the cultural awareness of health professionals affects clients and health programs?
Why or why not?
How?
Cultural Competence
Definition
The capacity of health professionals to understand and plan for the health needs of a specific cultural subgroup
Why is cultural competence an important skills for health professionals?
Cultural Orientation Continuum:
What is your level of cultural competence?

Developing Cultural Competency

What did you learn about what skills are needed to work with people from other cultures?
Openness and flexibility
Willingness to learn about our differences
Continual process of self-awareness and learning

Question
How can health professionals improve our cultural competence?
Planning Health Promotion Culturally Sensitive Programs

Due to scope and complexity of process, a model/framework is needed.

Cultural Assessment Framework (text authors).

Cultural Tailoring
Definition
Methods used by health promotion planners to adapt their programs to the unique cultural needs and characteristics of their client audience

Cultural Tailoring (Cont.)

Provides a way to focus more directly on specific cultural factors, e.g. values, beliefs, and traditions of a particular group that influences behavior related to health.
Cultural Assessment Framework
Provides practitioners and health educators with an assessment approach for understanding similarities and differences between mainstream culture and other ethnic groups targeted for intervention.
Cultural Assessment Framework
5 major levels of assessment:
Culture or ethnic group demographic characteristics.
Culture or ethnic group epidemiological and environment characteristics.
General & specific cultural or ethnic characteristics.
General & specific health care beliefs.
Western healthcare service delivery variables.
Culture or Ethnic Group Demographic Characteristics
Age
Gender
Social Class & Status
Literacy
Language
Religion
Occupation/Income
Residence
Acculturation & Assimilation
General & Specific Cultural Characteristics

Cosmology (World View)
Time Orientation
Perceptions of Self
Norms, Values, Customs
Communication Patterns
Final Comment
Regardless of target group, health problem, setting, etc., the selection of intervention and activities must be based on a sound rationale that considers cultures and the health behaviors or changes sought in that target group.