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242 Cultural Competence in Health Education and Health Promotion

CONCLUSION
The increasing racial and ethnic diversification of the U.S. population is making it very

clear that we need to incorporate the concept of cultural and linguistic competence into
every aspect of the planning, implementation, and evaluation process of health education
and promotion programs. It has also become clear that cultural and linguistic competence
constitutes approaches that can help to eliminate health disparities among the diverse
segments of the population. Throughout this book, the chapter authors have explored
strategies to incorporate cultural and linguistic competence into the development and
implementation of materials, programs, and learning opportunities that take into account
the specific needs of different racial, ethnic, and cultural groups.

POINTS TO REMEMBER
■ Health educators need to understand that cultural and linguistic competence are an
integral part of the development, implementation, and evaluation of health educa-
tion and promotion programs.

■ Health educators need to promote cultural and linguistic competence in order to
work effectively with the individuals or communities served by their organiza-
tions and to address these individuals ’ or communities ’ health needs.
■ We already know a number of good strategies for incorporating cultural and lin-
guistic competence into health education.

■ It is time for our profession to develop standards that address cultural and linguis-
tic competence in health education programs and in the preparation of health edu-
cation professionals. This chapter offers an initial set of such standards.

KEY TERMS
Cultural competence Health promotion
Health disparities Linguistic competence
Health education

REFERENCES
Airhihenbuwa , C. O. ( 1995 ). Health and culture: Beyond the western paradigm . Thousand Oaks, CA : Sage .
Airhihenbuwa , C. O. ( 2006 ). The inaugural SOPHE summit on eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities .

Health Promotion Practice , 3 , 293 – 295 .
American Association for Health Education . ( 1994 ). Cultural awareness and sensitivity: Guidelines for health
educators . Reston, VA : Author .
Brach , C. , & Fraser , I. ( 2000 ). Can cultural competency reduce racial disparities? A review and conceptual model .
Medical Care Research and Review , 57 (Suppl. 1), 181 – 217 . Retrieved November 5, 2007, from http://mcr
.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/57/suppl_1/181 .
Campinha - Bacote , J. ( 1998 ). The process of cultural competence in the delivery of healthcare services: A
culturally competent model of care ( 3rd ed. ). Cincinnati, OH : Transcultural C.A.R.E. Associates .

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