Assessment Description
Select an ethnic minority group that is represented in the United States (American Indian/Alaskan Native, Asian American, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander). Using health information available from Healthy People, the CDC, and other relevant government websites, analyze the health status for this group.
In a paper of 1,000-1,250 words, compare and contrast the health status of your selected minority group to the national average. Include the following:
- Describe the ethnic minority group selected. Describe the current health status of this group. How do race and ethnicity influence health for this group?
- What are the health disparities that exist for this group? What are the nutritional challenges for this group?
- Discuss the barriers to health for this group resulting from culture, socioeconomics, education, and sociopolitical factors.
- What health promotion activities are often practiced by this group?
- Describe at least one approach using the three levels of health promotion prevention (primary, secondary, and tertiary) that is likely to be the most effective in a care plan given the unique needs of the minority group you have selected. Provide an explanation of why it might be the most effective choice.
- What cultural beliefs or practices must be considered when creating a care plan? What cultural theory or model would be best to support culturally competent health promotion for this population? Why?
Cite at least three peer-reviewed or scholarly sources to complete this assignment. Sources should be published within the last 5 years and appropriate for the assignment criteria and public health content.
Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
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Health Promotion in Minority Population
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Health Promotion in Minority Population
Introduction
The United States is a diversified nation, having at least seven different ethnic groups. Some of the key minority groups in the US include African Americans, Latinos (including Puerto Ricans), Native Americans, and others. The non-Hispanic Whites are the dominant group in the United States (CMA, 2022). They enjoy power, influence, and more privileges than the minority groups. There have been disparities in terms of health status and access to health services between the majority and minority groups in America. The term health disparities refer to the differences in health and healthcare that exist between disadvantaged or minority groups, and the more privileged ones (CMA, 2022). As a result of detrimental health effects associated with health disparities, clinicians, researchers, and health advocates are gaining interest in the issues. The present an in-depth discussion of health disparities among African Americans.
The selected Minority Group
The selected minority group is the African Americans or Blacks. The black population is diverse and its members have varied histories in the country. The African American population is growing rapidly (CMA, 2022). For instance, in 2019, 46.8 million people in the United States identified themselves as Black people. About 14% of the American population recognized themselves as black people in 2019 compared to 13% in 2000. Most African Americans have poor health status compared to the White population. African Americans are likely to die from illnesses such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Cases of HIV, sexually transmitted diseases, and tuberculosis are more common among Blacks than Whites (CDC, 2020). Access to preventive care and treatment services is also poor among African Americans compared to their White counterparts. The disparities seen between the Whites and the African Americans are driven by discriminations and prejudices imposed on them by the majority groups (Taylor et al., 2019). Discrimination and stereotype in health care facilities, workplaces, and resource distribution contribute to health disparities.
Health Disparities That Exist for African Americans
Clinicians are concerned about the health disparities between African Americans, white, and other minority groups. For instance, African American men are more likely to die from cancer than White men. In 2018, African Americans represented 42% of the new HIV diagnoses in the United States and dependent areas (CDC, 2020). Blacks experienced 16.3 HIV incidents per 100,000 people while whites experienced 2.5 HIV cases per 100,000 people. Additionally, African Americans experienced five times more rates of chlamydia cases than Whites. Disparities exist between African Americans and Whites across health conditions including maternal mortality, diabetes, infant mortality, heart disease, access to health care, and access to preventive care (CMA, 2022). In terms of nutrition, More African Americans take an unbalanced diet than Whites. Low-income Americans are identified with low intake of fiber, calcium, and vitamins A and C. Therefore, African Americans may be vulnerable to poor-quality diets, with nutrient inadequacies compared to their White counterparts.
Barriers to Health for African Americans
There are certain factors known as social determinants of health that act as barriers to health and access to health care. Culture plays an important role in the health status of African Americans (Taylor et al., 2019). African Americans do not embrace physical activity and healthy eating habits leading to diabetes and obesity. Also, African Americans do not believe in preventive care which increases their risk of contracting illnesses. Socioeconomic factors have a significant influence on health disparities within the group. High rates of unemployment and poverty among African Americans make them unable to access quality health care compared to Whites (Taylor et al., 2019). Sociopolitical factors lead to unfair distribution of resources, lack of insurance coverage, lack of affordable housing, and racism, which have a negative influence to access to healthcare services. Less education among African Americans leads to a lack of better jobs, knowledge about diseases, and poverty, which are barriers to health, and healthcare (Taylor et al., 2019). Also, lack of health literacy is a barrier to health and access to healthcare.
Health Promotion Activities that are Often among African Americans
Health education is a common health promotional activity for African Americans. One of the social determinants of health among Blacks is lack of health literacy. Therefore, patient education regarding a healthy lifestyle, disease prevention, and drug abuse can significantly improve health and reduce disparities (CMA, 2022). Another health promotion activity is discounted fitness membership. African Americans are reluctant to participate in physical activities, hence, affordable fitness groups are beneficial to encourage them to engage in physical activities. Another health promotion includes free screening for illnesses such as diabetes, obesity, and heart diseases to promote early diagnosis. Others include tobacco cessation training, and nutritional aids (CMA, 2022). These health promotional activities are beneficial to African Americans, hence, should be encouraged to bridge the health gap that exists within the community.
Most Appropriate Approach to Health Promotion Prevention
Primary and secondary prevention approaches are more appropriate to African Americans. Primary Prevention is important because it involves measures that aim at people who are at risk of contracting illnesses. It prevents the disease from occurring (Kisling & Das, 2021). Most African Americans are susceptible to illnesses although they are still healthy. These activities include immunization, tobacco cessation, and others. The other appropriate level of prevention is secondary prevention. It emphasizes early disease detection, and its target is healthy-appearing individuals with subclinical forms of the disease. Most African Americans do not get the opportunity for early diagnosis, hence, this prevention approach will be effective for this population (Kisling & Das, 2021). People are sick unknowingly until the symptoms manifest. Early diagnosis before the onset of the symptoms can prevent health damage.
Cultural Beliefs/practices to Consider When Creating a Care Plan for The Group
Some of the beliefs or cultural practices to consider when treating African Americans are those related to diet and types of food, physical activities, and medical beliefs. Literature indicates that African Americans are still lagging in terms of physical activity and healthy eating habits (Taylor et al., 2019). They also hold some beliefs about certain illnesses that are against medical facts. For instance, some believe that mental illness could result from curses. Putting these practices and beliefs into context is important. Leininger’s Culture Care will be effective in guiding health promotions for African Americans. It is appropriate because it encourages nurses to understand the cultural beliefs and practices of patients to provide them with culturally competent, patient-centered care (McFarland & Wehbe-Alamah, 2019). It acknowledges that different cultures perceive care differently. Providing culturally competent care reduces stress among the patients. This theory will improve patients’ experiences with care.
Conclusion
The United States has more than seven ethnic groups, among them include African Americans. Health disparities between African Americans and Whites are a concern among advocates. African Americans are more likely to die from illnesses such as cancer than Whites. Health barriers include poverty, less education, unemployment, and others. Both primary and secondary preventions are necessary to improve the health of the population. Caregivers should provide culturally health care to improve patient experiences.
References
CMA. (2022). Racial and Ethnic Health Care Disparities. https://medicareadvocacy.org/medicare-info/health-care-disparities/
CDC. (2020). Health Disparities in HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STDs, and TB. https://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/healthdisparities/africanamericans.html
Kisling, L. A., & Das, J. M. (2021). Prevention strategies. In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537222/
McFarland, M. R., & Wehbe-Alamah, H. B. (2019). Leininger’s theory of culture care diversity and universality: An overview with a historical retrospective and a view toward the future. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 30(6), 540-557. https://doi.org/10.1177/1043659619867134
Taylor, J. (2019). Racism, inequality, and health care for African Americans. https://tcf.org/content/report/racism-inequality-health-care-african-americans/?agreed=1