142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

Annual Meeting Recordings are now available for purchase

303692
Cultural Competency Training for Healthcare Providers to Improve African Immigrant & Refugee Health

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Monday, November 17, 2014 : 3:30 PM - 3:45 PM

Emeobong Martin, MPH , Center for Health Equity and Wellness, Adventist HealthCare, Gaithersburg, MD
Deidre Washington, PhD , Center for Health Equity and Wellness, Adventist HealthCare, Gaithersburg, MD
Marcos Pesquera, RPh, MPH , Center for Health Equity and Wellness, Adventist HealthCare, Gaithersburg, MD
Marilyn Lynk, PhD , Center for Health Equity and Wellness, Adventist HealthCare, Gaithersburg, MD
African immigrants and refugees represent four percent of the total population in the United States.  In the Washington, D.C. area, African-born individuals represent 11% of the total population, making the District one of the largest metropolitan areas for African residence in the United States.  Unfortunately, the unique health needs of this population are often missed because Africans are grouped into the larger racial category of African American/Black.  Statistics indicate that many of the chronic and infectious diseases that disproportionately affect African Americans (e.g., type 2 diabetes, hepatitis B, and HIV/AIDS), are burdensome for African immigrants as well.  For example, African immigrants are three times more likely to be infected with hepatitis B virus than Asian immigrants and four times more likely to be infected than European immigrants.  Health data on African Americans, which also includes African-born individuals, indicate an 18.7% prevalence of type 2 diabetes with an estimated 35% diagnosed as pre-diabetic.

Many healthcare providers who work with African immigrants experience challenges when delivering care to this community, including identifying appropriate resources and understanding the cultural needs of their patients. Several policies exist to encourage the culturally competent delivery of healthcare, including healthcare reform. The Center for Health Equity and Wellness developed Project BEAT IT! (Becoming Empowered Africans through Improved Treatment of Diabetes, Hepatitis B, and HIV/AIDS) to improve culturally competent communication for healthcare providers with African-born patients. The project promotes improvements in disease self-management for African immigrant and refugee patients and trains healthcare providers on delivering culturally appropriate care.

Learning Areas:

Advocacy for health and health education
Diversity and culture
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related education
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Describe the unique health challenges of African immigrant and refugee populations in the United States. Discuss existing policies regarding culturally competent care education among healthcare providers. Analyze measured behavioral outcomes for healthcare providers participating in cultural competency training sessions associated with this research activity.

Keyword(s): Cultural Competency, Underserved Populations

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I possess over 10 years of experience working with underserved communities and directing health promotion and education research activities in chronic and infectious diseases. Last November, I presented preliminary research data on the proposed abstract initiative at the APHA 141st Annual Meeting and Expo in Boston, MA. Earlier this year, I was interviewed by Feature Story News as an expert on African immigrant and refugee health.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.