CLAS Standards: African American Women - Essay Example

CLAS Standards: African American Women Introduction Bridging the disparities of health issues in different ethniccommunities in US is one of the goals of the different health promotion programs that are being implemented in different areas. One of the disparities is found in the high rates of obesity, diabetes and hypertension among African American Women in comparison to women of other ethnicities in US. These health disparities have become quite a big concern especially in chronic diseases and a lot of efforts are being channeled towards lessening them.

Most of these disparities are well documented but they have not been able to be dealt with conclusively due to several issues. One of the challenges that form the basis of health disparities is the complex nature in which the causative factors interact at different levels leading to other secondary challenges (Williams, Auslander, de Groot, Robinson, Houston and Haire-Joshu, 2006). Among the secondary challenges is inability to correctly discern the underlying socioeconomic, racial and institutional problems that contribute to health disparities.

This is actually the reason why many health promotion programs are developed and implemented only to have very limited success. In this regards, balancing of different elements in a health program is very crucial. However, even in the balancing act, the influence of cultural factors on health promotion programs is very large and therefore such programs should be largely based on a cultural perspective. After the program has been designed, then comes the hardest part which is its implementation.

This part becomes challenging because the program can only address some pertinent issues while disregarding others. Sometimes the disregarded issues are the ones that lessen the success of a program and therefore mistakes or shortcomings of previously implemented and similar projects should be noted (Kannan, Webster, Sparks et al., 2009). A program geared towards reaching the African American ethnic community with regards to healthy eating habits can be very successful when channeled through the community.

In this regards, the influence on community will be felt in a large scale as opposed to targeting individuals. According to Plescia, Herrick & Chavis (2008), previous studies on effectiveness of health promotion studies have shown that the coalition development approach is the best especially in the minority ethnic communities. In coalition development approach, societal based organizations and groups such as churches and community development groups are good grounds upon which health programs can be laid and then spread to the rest of the community.

There has been a very a high correlation between positive health promotion programs and coalition development in cases where lay health advisors (LHA) are used. These LHA are used to form networks within the society and upon these networks cultural practices are developed which pertain to ethnic minority communities. One of the positive perceptions that should be encouraged in this program of health promotion would be consumption of a balanced diet which has been in the African American society although not very well followed.

Essentially, this program is geared towards reducing the high rate of chronic diseases in this group and therefore other things such as consumption of fast foods should be discouraged. The African American is very well known for its appetite for burgers, fries and other fatty as well as sugary foods. These foods add very little nutrients to the body and leave behind a very unhealthy community. The existential which should be encouraged is regular exercise which is very common among the African American people.

Regular exercise is important for the body since it helps it to burn extra calories and clear blood circulation system of any toxins (Plescia, Herrick and Chavis, 2008). There are many challenges that should be expected with regards to the success of this program because it will not be the only one that has been tried in that community. The first challenge is how to tailor the program to target individual needs and the needs of the community simultaneously. Although the program is using a communal approach to reach the community, the end result or goal is to reach each and every individual in that community and bring a change.

Another challenge is finding a suitable for integrating the cultural influence of the African American culture into it because without the cultural touch, the program is doomed to fail. Closely connected to this is the fact that the inclusion of culture into the program should be superficial and neither should it be so much, nor should many people will feel ashamed to associate with it. In the end, there should be a balance and a border upon which the interplay of culture and the program should be allowed to reach (Hargreaves, Schlundt and Buchowski, 2002).

Conclusion Bridging the disparities of health issues in different ethnic communities in US is one of the goals of the different health promotion programs that are being implemented in different areas. Developing a program to promote health in the African American ethnic community should be culturally informed and should expect challenges such as the best approach and balance of culture within the program. References Hargreaves, M. K., Schlundt, D. G., & Buchowski, M. S. (2002). Contextual factors influencing the eating behaviours of African American women: a focus group investigation.

Ethnicity and Health, 7(3), 133-147. Kannan, S., Webster, D., Sparks, A., Acker, C. M., Greene-Moton, E., Tropiano, E., & Turner, T. (2009). Using a Cultural Framework to Assess the Nutrition Influences in Relation to Birth Outcomes Among African American Women of Childbearing Age: Application of the PEN-3 Theoretical Model. Health Promotion Practice, 10(3), 349-358. Plescia, M., Herrick, H. & Chavis, T. (2008). Improving Health Behaviors in an African American Community: The Charlotte Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health Project.

American Journal of Public Health, 98 (9), 1678–1684. Williams, J. H., Auslander, W. F., de Groot, M., Robinson, A. D., Houston, C., & Haire-Joshu, D. (2006). Cultural relevancy of a diabetes prevention nutrition program for African American women. Health Promotion Practice, 7 (1), 56-67.