CCHP-SLP-4

Running Head: MODULE 3 SLP PAPER 0

Module 3 SLP Paper

Introduction

Diabetes is one the growing health challenges among world populations citing causes behind lifestyle. The African American populations have greatly been affected citing various factors that influence lifestyle to end up causing diabetes. In further understanding the link between African American populations and diabetes, research based on community orientation has proven effective in understanding causes of diabetes prevalence. Specific to this analysis, focus will be on the cultural empowerment of the African American population.

Cultural Empowerment

Regarding the cultural empowerment of the African Americans towards diabetes, there can be observed to exist a rigid approach towards diabetes based on cultural orientation. In the case of nutritional orientation the culture of African Americans is not empowered on nutrition and healthy eating. This as a result greatly influences African Americans not to be keen on the nutrition of the food they eat. Obesity among other food related conditions are thereafter observed to affect them eventually leading to diabetes (DiNoia et al., 2013). Education is another important factor necessary for cultural empowerment but is limited among the African American populations. Even though education is been embraced more overtime, it is evident that it is least established among the African Americans. As a result this leads to a poorly informed community who are not aware about the causes and existence of diabetes. Ideally, African Americans hold the common belief that diabetes is genetic and this makes them prone to other root causes of diabetes. In terms of healthcare, the culture of the African Americans holds less regard for insurance and modern treatment. Greater extents of this population have substandard health insurances owing to the overly religious beliefs that make them oblivious of the fact that insurance policies is to their advantage. As a result the cultural empowerment about modern healthcare is still inadequate in causing enough emancipation about diabetes. Based on the poor cultural empowerment, diabetes is increasingly becoming more prevalent among the African Americans.

PEN-3 Model’s Three Factors

Based on the community model of disease research of PEN-3 there are three factors under cultural empowerment which might affect prevalence of diabetes among African American. These factors include: existential, positive and negative factors.

1. Positive

On the part of positive factors within cultural empowerment, African Americans are predisposed to rich food selection base. This provides for diverse food nutrition to choose from. Additionally, African Americans have a positive emotional construct that enables them to cope with treatment effectively (Casarez et al., 2010).

1. Existential

In terms of existential factors, African American populations often are slow to adoption of scientific ideas and also embracing contemporary healthcare. The belief of stronger immune systems creates and provides room for healthcare as an emergency rather than an important component of life. This in the end causes low traceability of diabetes occurrences in African Americans.

1. Negative

On the part of negative factors, the African Americans are predisposed to negatives such as low standards of living, unemployment, poor or no insurance plans and low education levels (Iwelunmor, Newsome & Airhihenbuwa, 2014). This in the end acts to disadvantage of the cultural empowerment leading to inadequate provisions to tackle the diabetes menace.

Conclusion

In the overall, poor and inadequate cultural empowerment has contributed to the increasing prevalence of diabetes among the African American populations. It is therefore important that in complementing their culture, information about diabetes is reached out to more of these populations. Beyond information they also need economic abilities and institutional strengthening to enable tem fight the diabetes menace.

References

Casarez, et. al. (2010). Spiritual Practices in Self‐management of Diabetes in African Americans. Holistic nursing practice, 24(4), 227-237.

Di Noia, et. al. (2013). Designing culturally sensitive dietary interventions for African Americans: review and recommendations. Nutrition reviews, 71(4), 224-238.

Iwelunmor, J., Newsome, V., & Airhihenbuwa, C. O. (2014). Framing the impact of culture on health: a systematic review of the PEN-3 cultural model and its application in public health research and interventions. Ethnicity & health, 19(1), 20-46.