Page 60 - Cultural Competence in Health Education

38 Cultural Competence in Health Education and Health Promotion

POINTS TO REMEMBER
■ Health care disparities are persistent and pervasive. This chapter has focused on
disparities due to race and ethnicity; however, disparities are also associated with
disability status, geography, sexual orientation, and gender.

■ Knowing key health disparities by race and ethnicity is critical for health educa-
tors if they are to take a leadership role in collaborating with key partners in the
community to address these disparities.
■ Health educators need to create their own research agenda, one that focuses on
how to create an infrastructure to support health care disparities research; how to
increase the dialogue with the community, researchers, and policymakers; how
to measure progress in addressing health care disparities; and how to advocate for
more funding for health disparities research.

■ As Gambescia and his colleagues (2006) state, “ the issues of race, ethnicity and
culture will become more complex as we develop into a rich, multiethnic nation ”
(p. 537).

CASE STUDY
Alicia Garcia is a 25 - year - old migrant farmworker born in Zacatecas, Mexico. You
hear from her neighbor who is your patient that she is two months pregnant with her
third child but has not seen a health care provider, not even a lay midwife ( partera ).
Her neighbor tells you that Alicia does not think it is important to take time off from
work to make an appointment to see a health care provider. You are the health educa-
tor and your responsibility is to encourage farmworker women to enter prenatal care

by the first trimester. Please discuss with the other students, in small groups, some
strategies you could use to encourage Alicia to enter prenatal care within the next
month and then to continue to follow the protocols for a health pregnancy and
delivery.
1. How would you approach Alicia about the need for early prenatal care?

2. What inherent strengths of Latino culture can you identify that might help you
convince Alicia of the need to take care of her unborn child?

3. What do you think are some of the barriers faced by Alicia in seeking prenatal
care?

4. What are some of the strategies that might help her to overcome these barriers?

5. What resources and agencies in the community can you identify that could part-
ner with health educators to help Alicia have a successful pregnancy, labor, and
delivery?

7/1/08 2:50:13 PM
c02.indd 38 7/1/08 2:50:13 PM
c02.indd 38