Page 107 - Cultural Competence in Health Education

Complementary and Alternative Medicine 85

■ Of particular relevance in the development of a specific body of knowledge on

CAM for health education is the study of culturally competent health education
programs related to complementary and alternative medicine, holistic health, and
integrative healing.

CASE STUDY

A significant number of clients in a health care facility have reported using CAM and
traditional healing practices. As a member of the health care team, you, the health edu-
cator, have been commissioned to provide culturally competent health education on
CAM, traditional medicine, and holistic health to these clients.

1. What steps would you follow to assess the health education needs of this group?

2. What topics would you suggest including in the educational plan for this group?
3. What resources (Web sites, articles, organizations) would you use in designing

the health education program for this group?
4. What elements would you take into account when designing a culturally compe-
tent health education program for this group?

KEY TERMS

Alternative medicine Folk and traditional medicine
Complementary medicine Holistic health
Cultural competence Integrative healing
Cultural proficiency

REFERENCES
American Association of Integrative Medicine . ( 2006 ). Member testimonials. Retrieved April 30, 2007, from
http://aaimedicine.com/about_testimonials.php .
American Holistic Nurses Association . ( 2004 ). About AHNA. Retrieved September 28, 2006, from http://www.
ahna.org/about/about.html .
Barnes , P. , Powell - Griner , E. , McFann , K. , & Nahin , R. ( 2004 ). Complementary and alternative medicine use
among adults: United States, 2002 (CDC advance data from Vital and Health Statistics, Report #343). Hyastts-
ville, MD : National Center for Health Statistics . Retrieved October 3, 2007, from nccam.nih.gov/news/
camstats.htm .
Chng , C. L. , Neill , K. , & Fogle , P. ( 2003 ). Predictors of college students ’ use of complementary and alternative
medicine . American Journal of Health Education, 34 ( 5 ), 267 – 271 .
Gilmore , G. D. , Olsen , L. K. , Taub , A. , & Connell , D. ( 2005 ). Overview of the National Health Educator Compe-
tencies Update Project , 1998 – 2004. American Journal of Health Education, 32 ( 6 ), 363 – 370 .
Johnson , P. , & Johnson , R. ( 2004 ). Current status of complementary and alternative health practices in the U.S.:
Implications for health education professionals. Paper presented at the 2004 AAHPERD national convention,
New Orleans.
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine . ( 2003 ). About chiropractic and its use in treating
low back pain. Retrieved September 30, 2006, from http://nccam.nih.gov/health/chiropractic .

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