HCS316 Culture Diversity and Health & Illness

You have been asked to organize a community health fair at a local public school. The health fair will provide information and education on the following topics related to health promotion:

Immunizations

Importance of healthy diet and exercise

Avoidance of tobacco, drugs, and alcohol

Responsible sexual behaviors (use of condoms, risk of sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS, and concerns related to early unintended pregnancies)

Injury and violence prevention (motor vehicle crashes, firearms, poisonings, suffocation, falls, fires, and drowning)

The volunteers who will be manning the stations are from the health care community (doctors, nurses, dieticians, and social workers). You want to ensure that the team members take into consideration the familial health traditions, personal beliefs and the values of the people who will be attending the health fair. In a three- to four-page paper (excluding title and reference pages), address the following points:

Identify potential areas where health care providers’ culture may influence the treatment approach/recommendations which may be in conflict with the health belief of a community member’s culture and practices. Describe the differences.

Describe the role, if any, social control will play in the development of the educational materials presented.

Recommend potential strategies that the health care team can use when faced with a cultural practice that conflicts with the medical model.

Recommend strategies to increase community participation and enhance the relationships/partnerships between the medical community and members of the culturally diverse community.