Can listening to jazz help lower your blood sugars? Can going to church prevent a heart attack? Do cultural festivals help fight cancer? Does counting lead to weight loss? Yes! Some of the most innovative multicultural health programs utilize existing social networks and activities to communicate about a specific health issue, and lessen disparities in health care. In honor of National Minority Health Awareness Month, let’s take a look at a few of them.
Unfortunately, even the Big Apple can’t keep the doctor away if you have uncontrolled type 2 diabetes. The Building Bridges, Building Knowledge, Building Health (BBKH) Coalition in New York includes faith-based and community-based organizations, NY-Presbyterian Hospital, and other academic institutions. BBKH reaches out to the largely Dominican/Latino and African American community in Harlem and the South Bronx, to try and prevent the long-term complications of diabetes and other chronic conditions. These communities have alarmingly high rates of obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Community health workers (primarily affiliated with the churches) are trained to educate patients and empower them in their own care. Doctors, nurses and medical students aren’t just seeing patients either. They receive cultural-competency training that leads to better communication and care. Proving you can successfully combine health education and entertainment, the Metropolitan Community United Methodist Church hosts Diabetes Jazz Sundays.
Speaking of church, in Atlanta, some churches are Cardiovascular Wellness Centers, too. Why? It’s because heart disease is the leading cause of death in Georgia. Communicating with people at places such as church, barbershops, and beauty salons is the one of the keys to changing that statistic. The Fulton County Department of Health and Wellness coordinates the Reach for Wellness program in Atlanta. The coalition includes churches, health-care organizations and institutions, colleges and universities, legislators, neighborhood recreation centers, libraries, and multiple community groups. Community volunteers are trained to be health promotion specialists in areas such as smoking cessation, nutrition and physical activity. Child care, primary medical care and substance abuse treatment are provided so that people can participate fully in classes and wellness programs. Empowerment groups help maintain these lifestyle changes, as the hope is to have people serve as change agents within their families, and in the greater African American community, where cardiovascular disease is epidemic.
Although it started on the West Coast, the Jade Ribbon campaign is now a national and international movement, fighting against hepatitis B infection and liver cancer. 80% of liver cancer is caused by chronic hepatitis B infection. Even though rates of infection are very high in the Asian and Pacific Islander American communities, many don’t even know they’re infected. Through the Asian Liver Center (ALC) at the Stanford School of Medicine, the campaign ties together over 400 groups, including community organizations, churches, and several federal agencies. Recognizing that all Asians are not alike, but that Asians can help other Asians, an ethnically sensitive multi-media campaign, including public service announcements on TV, radio shows, advertisements, and health lectures, raises awareness in the various communities and among health professionals. Cultural festivals in the San Francisco Bay Area are prime opportunities for screening events. ALC staff members, college interns, and other volunteers all work together at these events to make screening and vaccination for hepatitis B easy.
If you’re a kid growing up in Chicago, it’s hard to resist the temptation of “Chicago-style” hot dogs, deep-dish pizzas, or Italian beef sandwiches, but all of those calories add up quickly. Kids in Chicago (especially minorities, or those from low income homes) are more likely to be obese than in many other cities. The Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children (CLOCC) is based at Children’s Memorial Hospital, and connects researchers, health care professionals, public health advocates, corporations, and policy makers from over 850 organizations to children and their families, as well as to each other. CLOCC’s 5-4-3-2-1 Go!™ social marketing campaign is designed to teach the fundamentals of a healthy and active lifestyle. Presentations and customizable flyers are available in multiple languages. Fortunately, Chicago’s kids know they have support at the highest levels. With the launching of the Let’s Move campaign, First Lady Michelle Obama is surely cheering them on from the White House.
Like other effective PR and marketing campaigns, these successful multicultural health endeavors focus on a specific issue, strengthen ties with the relevant communities, and bring stakeholders together in a meaningful way. Attention is paid to ethnic and cultural nuances in all communication materials, and multiple media outlets are used to communicate the message. To engage the communities further, education may be combined with entertainment or community events. This helps ensure sustainability of the intervention, and utilizes existing networks for social support.
More information about multicultural health is available through the The Office of Minority Health (1-800-444-6472).
¡Salud!
Dr. Tammy Lin is board-certified in internal medicine and practices in San Diego, CA.
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