Health Promotion in Minority Populations Essay
Health Promotion in Minority Populations Essay
Health Promotion in Minority Populations Essay
Health Promotion among the Native Hawaiian Minority Group
Health Promotion among the Native Hawaiian Minority Group
The current population of the United States is highly diverse due to successive waves of immigration from various places globally. These immigrants make up different minority groups representing the diverse American population. The previous censuses have indicated a consistent increase in ethnic and racial diversity in the American population. The census data shows consistent growth in the minority population and a decline in the population of non-Hispanic White. This interplay of majority-white and minority demographic shifts is also attributed to the increased diversity. This paper will focus on the health promotion among the Native Hawaiian minority group, which resides majorly on the west coast of the US.
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Description of the Current Health Status of Native Hawaiian Minority Group
The native Hawaiian minority group entails individuals who originated in any of the original people of Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, or other Pacific Islands. According to the Office of Minority Health (2023), the 2019 US Census Bureau estimated that there are about 1.4 million native Hawaiian in the United States. This group represents nearly 0.4% of the entire American population. Out of this number, approximately 355,000 Native Hawaiians live in Hawaii. The US Census Bureau projected that the life expectancies for Native at birth for Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders at birth are 80.8 years, with men having 78.5 years and women 83.2 years (Office of Minority Health, 2023). Native Hawaiians/ Pacific Islanders are associated with higher rates of alcohol consumption, smoking, and obesity compared to other ethnic groups. This also has limited access to cancer prevention and management initiatives. Also, this group has a higher prevalence of tuberculosis, hepatitis B, and HIV/AIDS. The leading causes of death among this group include cancer, diabetes, stroke, cardiovascular diseases, and accidents (Office of Minority Health, 2023).
Health Disparities and the Nutritional Challenges for the Native Hawaiian Minority Group
The health disparities encountered by the Native Hawaiians/ Pacific Islanders include cancer-related deaths. This group has the second leading in the number of deaths from cancer in the US. The other health disparity is mental health issues. Native Hawaiians/ Pacific Islanders encounter growing incidences of mental health issues, which is estimated at 13% (Office of Minority Health, 2023). The group also experiences more cases of suicide among the natives. On the other hand, the nutritional challenges for this population include high rates of obesity. The prevalence of obesity in this group is attributed to poor lifestyle habits such as poor diet and lack of exercise. There is high consumption of alcohol, smoking, sodium, and poor physical activity among the Native Hawaiians/ Pacific Islanders (Office of Minority Health, 2023). Moreover, the diet in this group mostly comprises rice and fries and fewer fruits and vegetables. Obesity increases the risk of conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
The Barriers to Health for this Group Resulting from Culture, Socioeconomics, Education, and Sociopolitical Factors
Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders encounter various barriers to health emanating from culture, socioeconomics, education, and sociopolitical factors. According to the 2019 US Census Bureau, about 88.7% of this group had high school diplomas or higher, against 93.3% for non-Hispanic whites. 23.8% had a bachelor’s degree or higher compared to 36.9% of whites (Office of Minority Health, 2023). Only 7.4% of this group has graduate or professional degrees compared to 14.3% of whites. Approximately 29.7% of this group speaks a different language from English at home (Office of Minority Health, 2023). The 2019 Census Bureau reported that the median household income for Native Hawaiians was $66,695 compared to $71664 for whites. Moreover, 14.8% of this group lives at the poverty level. In the year 2019, the unemployment rate for this group was 5.9%. In 2019, 65.8% of Native Hawaiians used private health insurance while 34.0% of this group relied on Medicaid or public health insurance. Finally, 9.1% of this group is uninsured compared to 6.3% of non-Hispanic whites (Office of Minority Health, 2023). This statistic demonstrates that Native Hawaiians are less likely to be covered by insurance compared to other populations in the US.
Health Promotion Activities Often Practiced by the Native Hawaiian Minority Group
The famous health promotion activity among this group is hula dance. This is an aboriginal Hawaiian dance. Currently, this dance is commonly practiced by Western scientists to address heart diseases among Native Hawaiians (Walters et al., 2020). Hula dance is an element of OI, a cultural approach that entails native practices demonstrated through songs, celebrations, story-telling, and dances. OI has educational, governance, and class aspects (Walters et al., 2020). Today, hula dance is also called anti-CVC, Ola Hu, which implies restored health through hula. This dance is crucial in realizing the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of a person because it denotes links with nature and its associated forces (Walters et al., 2020). It also helps in improving health through exercise and provides a strong attachment to the community.
The Best Approach among the Three Levels of Health Promotion Prevention that is most Effective in a Care Plan for the Native Hawaiian Minority Group
The best approach for this group in the three levels of health promotion is primary prevention. The native Hawaiians have no promising history with health prevention initiatives, making primary prevention the best health promotion approach. This group has limited access to healthcare services such as cancer prevention and management programs and so, is less likely to utilize prevention healthcare. Primary prevention is crucial in ensuring this population gets proper education on health risk factors unique to it, prevention steps, and also getting screened for the risk factors (Budreviciute et al., 2020). Primary prevention is also essential in enabling the Native Hawaiians to become aware of their baseline and collaborate with healthcare professionals to develop a patient-centered prevention plan. This is vital in helping individuals to take responsibility for their actions and health.
Cultural Beliefs or Practices to be Considered When Creating a Care Plan
The life of a Native Hawaiian is grounded on cultural beliefs that must be considered when creating a care plan. This group believes in holistic health through the concept of “Lokahi”, which implies a balance and harmony of mental, physical, and spiritual health (Chung‐Do et al., 2019). Families also play a crucial role in the social structure of Native Hawaiians. This group believes in family love, compassion, and care which plays an instrumental role in guiding feelings during sickness. Healthcare professionals must also respect and engage the natives in their care decision-making. The recommended cultural theory to apply in this group is Leininger’s theory on cultural care diversity and universality (McFarland, 2021). This theory is crucial in discovering, documenting, understanding, and illustrating the correlation between care and cultural experiences.
Conclusion
The discussion delved into the Native Hawaiian minority group by illustrating the group’s healthcare limitations and expectations. The paper focused on the current healthcare status and the influence of race on health for this group. The paper also discussed the health disparities and nutritional challenges for this group. Barriers to health for this group emanating from culture, socioeconomics, education, and sociopolitical factors are also discussed. The paper also highlighted health promotion activities, a suitable level of health promotion prevention, and cultural beliefs or practices that must be considered when creating a care plan. It is evident that this group has various health limitations and challenges but it is resilient with impressive support systems and values to navigate challenging health issues.
References
Budreviciute, A., Damiati, S., Sabir, D. K., Onder, K., Schuller-Goetzburg, P., Plakys, G., … & Kodzius, R. (2020). Management and prevention strategies for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and their risk factors. Frontiers in public health, 788. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2020.574111
Chung‐Do, J. J., Ho‐Lastimosa, I., Keaulana, S., Ho Jr, K., Hwang, P. W., Radovich, T., … & Spencer, M. S. (2019). Waimānalo Pono Research Hui: A community–academic partnership to promote Native Hawaiian wellness through culturally grounded and community‐driven research and programming. American Journal of community psychology, 64(1-2), 107-117. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12355
McFarland, M. R. (2021). Madeleine M. Leininger: Theory of Culture Care Diversity and Universality. Nursing Theorists and Their Work E-Book, 334.
Office of Minority Health (2023). Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander – The Office of Minority Health. (n.d.). https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/omh/browse.aspx?lvl=3&lvlid=65
Walters, K. L., Johnson-Jennings, M., Stroud, S., Rasmus, S., Charles, B., John, S., … & Boulafentis, J. (2020). Growing from our roots: Strategies for developing culturally grounded health promotion interventions in American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities. Prevention Science, 21, 54-64. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-018-0952-z
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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.
You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite technical support articles is located in Course Resources if you need assistance.
