Page 218 - Cultural Competence in Health Education

196 Cultural Competence in Health Education and Health Promotion

short - term interventions, they must not only involve the target populations through
culturally competent needs assessments (Arizona Department of Health Services,
1995) but also provide these populations with the tools necessary to enact change
in their environments.

CONCLUSION

The field of health education is predicated on the delivery of accurate and timely health
information so that individuals may make informed decisions to enhance their health

status. The diversification of the U.S. population, however, requires health educators
to modify their approaches, philosophies, and techniques to reach a variety of diverse
population groups. This transformation requires changing long - held practices and
beliefs to take into account the needs of different groups; in essence, it requires the
development of cultural competence. It should be noted, however, that acquiring cul-
tural competence is a life long process and not a destination in and of itself. Cultural

competence requires respect for others ’ beliefs, modification of practices, and the
development of new language skills in order to reach others.

POINTS TO REMEMBER

■ The fourteen CLAS standards
■ The continuing need to incorporate the knowledge and skills related to cultural
competence into health education

■ The recommendations for working with diverse groups

CASE STUDY
Imagine the following interaction between a health educator and a monolingual person

with no education. The female health educator, who is fluent in the language spoken
by the client, attempts to convey the necessity of performing a monthly breast self -
examination (BSE) as a tool in the early detection of breast cancer. The client, in awe
at the health educator for bringing up such a sensitive subject, cannot suppress a look
of confusion when the health educator asks her if she performs breast self - exams.
“ Me, touch my own breasts? ” asks the client, giving a response she believes the health
educator wants to hear. The astute health educator, realizing that the client may not
realize the importance of a BSE, proceeds to show her, using an anatomically correct
model, the correct procedure for a BSE. Pretty soon the client remembers she has
another commitment and must leave now, but not before promising to get back to the
health educator on the progress of her newly developed skill. To analyze this situation,
please discuss the following questions:

7/1/08 3:00:59 PM
c10.indd 196 7/1/08 3:00:59 PM
c10.indd 196