Africa Ethnic Culture In Nursing Education and Teaching Strategies
What are Teaching Strategies for Africa Ethnic Culture
In a review of articles published within the past decade, Weekes (2012), Mandal et al. (2013). Mantwill, Monestel-Umana, and Schulz (2015). and Sayah, Majumdar, Egede, and Johnson (2015) explored the impact of health literacy on health outcomes among African Americans.
The findings were somewhat
mixed but most found that health literacy influenced African Americans'
understanding of diseases, their feelings of self efficacy, their perceived
susceptibility to illness, and their adherence to medical protocols and
medication regimens. More research needs to be conducted but this literature
review highlights the importance of considering the role of health literacy on
the health of blacks when nurses carry out patient education in various
healthcare settings.
When teaching black Americans preventive and promotional measures as well as when caring for them during illnesses, the nurse must explore the patients' value systems and cultural beliefs. Generally, any folk practices or traditional beliefs should be respected, allowed (if they are not harmful), and incorporated into the recommended treatment or healthcare interventions used by Western medicine.
Nursing Educational Considerations for Africa Ethnic Group
The following list offers more specific points for nurses to consider to be sure they render culturally appropriate care for black Americans (Forrester, 2000; Purnell, 2013). Members of this minority population group tend to:
Express feelings openly to family and friends, but they are much more private about family matters when in the company of strangers. Prefer being greeted in a formal manner by using their surnames when outside their circle of family and friends, which demonstrates respect and pride for their family heritage. Feel comfortable with less personal space and use humor, jokes, and teasing to reduce stress and tension.
Be oriented more to the present than the past or future and, thus,
are likely to be relaxed about specific time frames. As a result, appointments
will usually be kept, but they may be late, which requires health providers to
be flexible with scheduling.
Live in a traditional family structure that is matriarchal with a
high percentage of households run by a female single parent. Women play a
dominant role in decision making, and grandmothers are often involved in
providing economic support and child care for their grandchildren, so nurses
must recognize the importance of sharing health information directly with them.
Diabetes and hypertension continue to be the most serious health problems for African Americans, with higher morbidity and mortality rates from these diseases than in other Americans (Mandal et al., 2013; Noonan et al.,2016, Samuel-Hodge et al. , 2006). Also, as stated previously, blacks are at higher risk for being victims of violence, accidents, disabilities, and cancer (Forrester, 2000; Purnell, 2013).
Obesity is another major problem among
black Americans. Food to them is a symbol of health and wealth, their family
interactions and social events center around dietary preferences (soul food)
based on culture and necessity, and a higher than ideal body weight is viewed
positively by members of this ethnic group . Soul food, a type of cuisine that
consists predominantly of fatty, salty, and sugary foods, also has contributed
to the high incidence of cardiovascular diseases (Belle, 2009).
Nurses must concentrate on disease prevention measures; institute early screening for high blood pressure, cancer, and diabetes, as well as screening for signs and symptoms of other disorders common in this population; and provide culturally appropriate health education to improve the overall health status of black Americans (Bailey, Erwin, & Belin, 2000; Minority Nurse Staff, 2013; Plescia, Herrick, & Chavis, 2008; Powe, Daniels, Finnie, & Thompson, 2005).
Their strong family ties encourage black individuals to be treated by the family before seeking care from nurses and other health professionals. This cultural practice may be a factor contributing to the delay or failure of blacks to seek treatment for diseases at the early stages of illness.
Economic factors make it less likely for black Americans to have ready access to health care services. Identified barriers to black Americans seeking the health care they need include lack of culturally relevant care, perceptions of racial discrimination, and a general distrust of both healthcare professionals and the healthcare system.
Establishing a trusting relationship, therefore, is an essential first step to be taken by nurses if blacks are to receive and accept the health services they require and deserve.
Recognizing their unique responses to health and illness based on their spiritual and religious foundations, their strong family ties, and other traditional beliefs is essential if therapeutic interventions developed by the healthcare team are to be successful (Noonan et al., 2016).Efforts to recruit more blacks into the nursing profession would most assuredly help to reduce some of the barriers to caring for this population of Americans.
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