Health Promotion in Minority Population
The Selected Ethnic Minority Group, Its Health Status, and How Race and Ethnicity Influence Health
For this paper, the selected ethnic minority group is African Americans. Currently, African Americans make up about 13.4% of the population of the United States. The majority of them live in rural areas. Although African Americans were victims of historical injustices, they have been able to accomplish significant advancements in recent years. For instance, at least 90% of Black Americans aged 25 to 29 graduated from high school, indicating a substantial rise in educational achievement (Taylor, 2019). However, they remain far behind in building wealth compared to their white counterparts. The poorest ethnic group in the USA is African Americans. For the previous 50 years, they have experienced the lowest median household income in the USA. Regarding their current health status, the life expectancy of African Americans is 77.0 years, while the national average is 78.61 years (Andrasfay & Goldman, 2021). The death rate for African Americans is higher than whites for HIV/AIDS, diabetes, pneumonia, asthma, cancer, stroke, and heart diseases.
Additionally, the prevalence of infectious and chronic diseases among African Americans is four to ten times higher than the average for the US population. For example, the prevalence of HIV infection in this population is 13 times greater than the national average. According to the available data, 57.6% of African American women and 37.9% of African American men who are 20 years or older are obese, compared to the 35.1% national average (Maness et al., 2021). Their race plays a significant role in their health status. African Americans live in the most segregated housing, associated with a high cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevalence. The fact that white Americans are less segregated from Hispanic or Asian Americans than from black Americans can explain the poor health status of African Americans. Also, African Americans are still victims of racial discrimination today, which negatively affects their physical and mental health. Racism-related stress can have material impacts that linger for a very long time. Racial discrimination is also linked with involvement in recreational drug use. These drugs end up negatively affecting the health of African Americans.
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Health Disparities
There are several health disparities among African Americans. The number of African Americans with health care coverage is still lower than the overall US population. While only nine per cent of the US population is uninsured, 12 per cent of African Americans lack health coverage. Even though this gap has narrowed in recent years, Black Americans are still more susceptible to chronic diseases than other races. For instance, compared to Hispanic adults (36%), non-Hispanic Asian adults (39%), or non-Hispanic White adults, Black Americans have more excellent rates of hypertension. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). The inequalities in health outcomes among African Americans are also influenced by cancer. African Americans have the lowest overall survival rates and the most significant mortality rates for the majority of cancers, according to the American Cancer Society. However, African American men and women have had a faster decline in the overall cancer death rate since 1990 than White people (Deshaies, 2022). Deshaies (2022) claims that compared to white patients, black patients’ mortality rates for colorectal, prostate, and lung cancer have decreased more swiftly. Another area of healthcare where disparities occur is renal disease. The National Renal Foundation estimates that African Americans could have renal failure up to three times more frequently than Caucasians. Up to one-third of all Americans who require dialysis due to renal failure are black people. This is even though they comprise only 13.4% of the population (Deshaies, 2022).
Barriers To Health
There are several barriers to health among African Americans. First, some of the cultural beliefs of African Americans prevent them from seeking medical attention. For instance, some African Americans believe home remedies are just as effective as conventional medicines. Also, the level of distrust in the healthcare system among African Americans is high when compared to the rest of the US population (Nguyen et al., 2022). The suspicion arises from the fact that the healthcare system has racially discriminated against them for an extended period. Due to their distrust of the healthcare system, African Americans fail to comply with prescribed medications and lifestyle practices. In addition, a common issue in poor African American communities is access to wholesome nutrition. Compared to the rest of the US population, African Americans have poor access to supermarkets that sell healthy foods. The quality and freshness of the food in poor black communities are also inferior. Violence is also a barrier to health among African Americans. Injury, illnesses, and early deaths are all significantly increased by violence. Guns are the main form of homicide, and black male adolescents are six times more likely than white teens to die from homicide (Sharkey & Friedson, 2019).
Health Promotion Activities
African Americans participate in physical activities as part of their health promotion initiatives. In 2018, it was reported that 19.9% of African American adults aged 18 years and above met aerobic physical activity and muscle-strengthening objectives compared to a national average of 21.7% (Healthy People, 2022). However, 32.2% of African Americans are physically inactive compared to the national average of 25% (Mickens, 2020). African Americans also engage in smoking cessation programs. It was shown in 2015 that 4.9% of African Americans had successful cessation compared to a national average of 7.1% (Babb et al., 2020).
Moreover, African Americans adopt special diets to stay healthy. As per findings by Stierman et al. (2020), 14.7% of African Americans aged 20 years and over were on a low-calorie diet between 2015 and 2018. This figure is lower than the national average of 17.1%. They choose to be on special diets with the aim of weight loss.
Health Promotion Prevention
The behaviour change health promotion approach can be used to improve the health status of African Americans. Here, primary prevention might take creating and implementing initiatives to spread knowledge and awareness about altering food practices and boosting physical activity. Programs that bring gyms and exercise facilities closer to community members can be implemented as a secondary prevention strategy to lessen the effects of chronic diseases in this population segment. Stakeholders can encourage community people to join fitness programs by using TV celebrities and role models to promote behaviour change. Tertiary prevention can be accomplished by supporting local clinics to assist patients in managing the long-term impacts of chronic illness and enhancing their physical functioning and indicators of quality of life. This strategy is effective because stakeholders may influence people to adopt healthy behaviours by appealing to cultural predispositions that are valued in the community. Additionally, the program can use families to help African Americans make wise decisions regarding their health and well-being.
Cultural Considerations
It is essential to consider the cultural practices and beliefs of African Americans when designing health promotion programs for this population. Healthcare professionals should clearly understand the significant role that religion and church play in African Americans’ lives. This would help when designing health promotion activities aligned with their religious beliefs. Considering their religious beliefs can also facilitate the involvement of faith-based organizations in health promotion. Moreover, healing practices common among African Americans, such as home and folk remedies, should be considered. This would help in integrating their healing practices into a health promotion program. The language and communication of African Americans should also be considered in health programs. Individuals of the African-American race are diverse, and it is possible to come across different speaking styles. Some examples are African American English, Black Vernacular English, and Black English. Ensuring all African Americans understand the language used to promote health would be necessary. The Culture Care Diversity and Universality Theory by Madeleine Leininger can be used to enhance culturally appropriate health promotion among the African American population. This is because the beliefs, values, and meanings of an African American patient’s ways of life can be described using this model. Since the theory is highly generalizable, it would be easier to generalize African Americans’ cultural beliefs and practices.
References
Andrasfay, T., & Goldman, N. (2021). Reductions in 2020 US life expectancy due to COVID-19 and the disproportionate impact on the Black and Latino populations. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 118(5), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2014746118
Babb, S., Malarcher, A., Asman, K., Johns, M., Caraballo, R., Vanfrank, B., & Garrett, B. (2020). Disparities in cessation behaviours between Hispanic and non-Hispanic white adult cigarette smokers in the United States, 2000-2015. Preventing Chronic Disease, 17, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.5888/PCD17.190279
Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), C. (2022). A Closer Look at African American Men and High Blood Pressure Control. Retrieved 6 September 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/aa_sourcebook.htm#:~:text=High%20blood%20pressure%20is%20more,or%20Hispanic%20adults%20(36%25).&text=A%20heightened%20response%20is%20required,control%20in%20African%20American%20men.
Healthy People. (2022). Disparities Data for Physical Activity by Race and Ethnicity for 2018. Healthypeople.gov. (2022). Retrieved 7 September 2022, from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/data/disparities/detail/Chart/5072/3/2018.
Lutz, R. (2022). Health Disparities Among African-Americans. Pfizer.com. Retrieved 6 September 2022, from https://www.pfizer.com/news/articles/health_disparities_among_african_americans.
Maness, S. B., Merrell, L., Thompson, E. L., Griner, S. B., Kline, N., & Wheldon, C. (2021). Social Determinants of Health and Health Disparities: COVID-19 Exposures and Mortality Among African American People in the United States. Public Health Reports, 136(1), 18–22. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033354920969169
Mickens, A. (2020). Perceptions of Physical Activity Engagement among African American Emerging Adults at Georgia Southern University – Statesboro Campus. Electronic Thesis and Dissertations, 20–25.
Nguyen, T. C., Gathecha, E., Kauffman, R., Wright, S., & Harris, C. M. (2022). Healthcare distrust among hospitalized black patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Postgraduate Medical Journal, 98(1161), 539–543. https://doi.org/10.1136/postgradmedj-2021-140824
Sharkey, P., & Friedson, M. (2019). The Impact of the Homicide Decline on Life Expectancy of African American Males. Demography, 56(2), 645–663. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13524-019-00768-4
Stierman, B., Ansai, N., Mishra, S., & Hales, C. M. (2020). Special Diets Among Adults: United States, 2015-2018. NCHS Data Brief, 289, 1–8.
Taylor, J. (2019). Racism, inequality, and health care for African Americans. The Century Foundation.
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Question 
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:
Health Promotion in Minority Population
Describe the ethnic minority group selected. Describe the current health status of this group. How do race and ethnicity influence the health of 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 practised 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. Please explain 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 best supports 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 five years and appropriate for the assignment criteria and public health content.