Page 113 - Cultural Competence in Health Education

A Spiritually Grounded and Culturally Responsive Approach 91

intellectual, social, and spiritual dimensions. However, he also observes that despite
this philosophical emphasis on multidimensionality, most often in promoting health
the field of health education actually gives little real attention to anything other than the

physical in outlining health objectives; thus he argues that it is important for the fi eld
of health education to be proactive toward research and practice efforts that deal with
the role of spirituality in health promotion and education. Perhaps toward that end,
some studies have recently explored how spirituality relates to the health perceptions
and behaviors of college students (Dennis, Muller, Miller, & Banerjee, 2004; Wood &
Hebert, 2005).
Despite the fact that there is discussion in health education both about spirituality
and about cultural competence, thus far most of the health education literature dealing
with these two issues has treated them separately. Only a few authors discuss both
issues together in relation to health education. Kreuter, Lukwago, Bucholtz, Clark, and
Sanders - Thompson (2002), for example, discuss the importance of creating tailored
approaches to health promotion that take into account the needs of particular audi-
ences and cultural groups. They note that spirituality may be far more important to
some cultural groups (and to some individuals within those groups) than it is to others.
They highlight the idea that in order to be culturally responsive one must take into
account not only health behaviors but also attitudes toward health and healing, and any
people in that cultural group who provide different types of health and healing that
might be guided by spirituality, religion, or culture.
Musgrave, Allen, and Allen (2002) make a similar point from a public health per-
spective, and note that spirituality has been associated with positive health outcomes
for women of color, particularly for African American and Hispanic women. They
argue that in considering health promotion and education for health and wellness for
women of color who value spirituality, it is particularly important to attend to spiritu-
ality in order to be culturally responsive. Thus it is important to consider the role of
spirituality in connection to culturally responsive education for health and wellness.
Although this role is being discussed in some arenas of education for health and well-
ness, too often the discussions of culture and spirituality remain separate. In this chap-
ter the intent is to connect spirituality and culture in order to explain a culturally
responsive approach to education for health. This discussion begins by rooting itself in
the example of an immigrant women ’ s health conference.

SPIRITUALITY AND HEALTH: ROOTED IN EXAMPLE
A spiritually grounded and culturally responsive approach to education for health and
wellness is grounded in a particular set of assumptions about the nature of health,
healing, and wholeness as well as about spirituality and culture. These assumptions
will be made clear in light of the following example. Picture a scene that took place
at the end of an immigrant women ’ s health conference in which both of us were
involved. (This description was written immediately following the conference, on
September 9, 2006.)

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