Cultural Competency Programs

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The diversity in the United States continues to grow, increasing the demand of creating more cultural competent programs. Health outcomes are addressed by race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. In research. race and ethnicity are potential predictors for a particular outcome. There is need for more research studies in order to provide an understanding of the different needs among ethnic minority groups. An abundance of research studies aggregates health data of different origin groups such as Hispanics or Asian/Pacific Islanders. The method is used in order to offer a result of a large population that may have multiple subgroups. Therefore, some may argue that aggregating results provides a more feasible process in analyzing a large ethnic …show more content…

It can also reduce substantial error and bias in a study design when the data is attempting to determine culturally different groups (Kaneshiro et. al, 2011). Furthermore, much of public health research is based on aggregated data. Therefore, it is easier to compare research to previous studies to determine if there has been an improvement in the population or assess the effectiveness of current intervention programs. In addition, aggregated data has been able to develop the best practices for asking questions to minority groups. According to the Williams Institute (2009), there has been an increased need for high quality scientific data on sexual orientation of adults because it is an essential piece in understanding different health trends among populations. It is crucial that sexual orientation questions are asked appropriately to avoid discrimination and be culturally sensitive. Based on existing large-scale surveys research questions can be modified to be asked correctly. For example, surveys now provide three options for how one identifies their sexual orientation: heterosexual or straight, gay or lesbian, or …show more content…

Moreover, within the subgroup there are different stressors that may potentially put someone at higher risk for an adverse event. By identifying a subgroup as different it may lead discrimination from other subgroups. However, if disaggregated data was not able to assess sub groups programs could not be responsive to the needs of the subgroup. Hence, the data can determine who is more susceptible for disease, where do they reside, and implement policies to address the issue (Tshabalala & Taylor, 2016). Nonetheless, due to the extensive amount of aggregated data, lack of disaggregated data may lead to poor informed decisions in regards to community needs. Although, a large ethnic group, such as Hispanics, may be considered at a low or higher risk for specific health outcomes, it is excluding the health information of its sub groups. This can lead to a potential failure to address early on adverse health outcomes among sub groups. Nevertheless, aggregated data and disaggregated data have their strengths and weaknesses. Aggregated data is able to analyzed the overall health of larger populations as where disaggregated data can analyze sub groups. Although both approaches are necessary more studies should be done on disaggregated data to compare subgroups and help reduce health disparities. This can ultimately provide more funding for research