Page 176 - Cultural Competence in Health Education

154 Cultural Competence in Health Education and Health Promotion

health care the most and may not be getting it due to their circumstance of health
illiteracy.

Attitudes
Another consideration that must be adopted when communicating across cultures is
cultural sensitivities or attitudes toward health. It is understandable that different cul-
tures have different ways of explaining and interpreting health and disease concepts.
Nonetheless, a majority of ethnic minorities have little understanding of the medical
concepts of the disease process. Prevention is the key to living a healthy and quality
life, and people ’ s lack of understanding of how to prevent illness may lead to devastat-
ing health effects. Taboos are especially important factors to consider when providing
health care services to clients, whether well or sick.

Structural Obstacles
Structural obstacles (barriers associated with structural issues in organizations or
communities within a culture), such as limited access to health care and money and
availability of translators, should be considered when dealing with a culturally diverse
population. Some population groups may have to travel further to see health care pro-
viders than other population groups do. In some communities a person may travel far
on foot and yet still not be able to see any health care provider, whereas others may
have easy access to health care. Money and health insurance also come into play, as
these are major factors for receiving health care in the United States. The majority of
people who are poor and have no health insurance will not see a health care provider
on a regular basis; they are more likely to get health care only when it is absolutely
crucial. Prevention is the key to good health, and that message should be communi-
cated effectively in order to prevent disease and reduce the cost of health care. Well -
trained translators should be available to minorities who face language barriers.

Communicating across cultures can be difficult, but if the concepts discussed here are

kept in mind, communicating with a diverse population can be easier. Knowing how a
culture explains the concepts of health and disease is important in communicating ef-
fectively with people in that culture. Different communication strategies must be used
to target different groups, because all groups vary to some extent in terms of their cul-
tural, theoretical, and conceptual explanations of health and disease states.

COMMUNICATION AND PERSONAL HEALTH
Health communication is the provision of positive health information that will infl u-
ence health behavior and attitudes and increase health knowledge for the prevention of
disease and the promotion and protection of individual and community health. Health
communication can raise individuals ’ awareness of health risks by informing them of
potential hazards they may face. One of the seven areas of responsibility for health

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