Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #105904

Veronica Acosta-DePrez, PhD, CHES¹, Wendy Nomura, MPH, PT¹, Mohammed Forouzesh, MPH, PhD², and Tony Sinay, PhD³. (1) Health Science, California State University, Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90840-4902, (562)985-7698, vacosta@csulb.edu, (2) Health Science Department, California State University at Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90840-4902, (3) Health Care Administration, California State University, Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90840

To date there has not been a comprehensive evaluation of the literature on Multicultural health education. Grant (1994) described best practices in teacher preparation on multicultural teacher education. Other multicultural experts have provided evidence of effective methods and curricula related to teaching and learning. We will describe an analysis of the multicultural health education literature in the last 15 years utilizing Sleeter and Grant Topology of Multicultural Education (1987).

To determine best practices in health education, a search for articles was conducted using ERIC, Medline, and Cinahl Data bases. To be as inclusive as possible, studies found in references of other articles, and health education journals were also included. To be included in the review, an article had to address a health education topic, education intervention, or instructional practice. Articles that addressed health care practitioners' education were excluded. Articles were then grouped according to Sleeter and Grant's five approaches to multicultural education: “Teaching the Culturally Different”, “Human Relations”, “Single Group studies”, “Multicultural Education” and “Education that is Multicultural and Social Reconstructionist”. For each approach, we analyzed the articles according to five categories: workshops, courses, practice, programs, and field experiences.

The literature search revealed over 100 studies from 1989 to 2004. Best practices based on evidence were identified and analyzed. It is hoped that this analysis will encourage health educators and public health professionals to examine their own multicultural health education practices and to learn from evidence of effective practices rather than rely on assumption of what is best practice.

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion of the presentation, participants will
• employ concepts and theories of multicultural education to health education and public health practice.
• be able to identify best practices in multicultural health education
• articulate five approaches to multicultural health education and classify teaching practices accordingly.
• interpret the significance and implications of multicultural health education practices on learning.

Keywords: Cultural Competency, Health Education

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.