Journal of health care for the poor and underserved
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J Health Care Poor Underserved · Feb 2001
ReviewConsumer participation in health policy decisions: empowerment or puffery?
Many consumers in today's society have increased access to information about health and medical care through books, videotapes, audiotapes, the Internet, and television programming. However, consumers often are excluded from involvement in health policy decision making because it is believed that they do not have the necessary expertise. In this paper, the following will be discussed: (1) the historic role of consumer involvement in health policy decision making, (2) an overview of major barriers that consumers have encountered in health policy decision making, and (3) strategies for overcoming these barriers so that consumer empowerment can be enhanced when they serve on health policy panels.
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J Health Care Poor Underserved · Aug 1998
ReviewAfrican American women and diabetes: a sociocultural context.
Diabetes is the fourth leading cause of death among African American women. One in four black women (23.4 percent) older than age 55 has diabetes. ⋯ In a sense, being black, female, elderly, and chronically ill places this group in quadruple jeopardy. Tackling the problem of diabetes among African American women is a public health priority and requires a multilevel approach.
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J Health Care Poor Underserved · Aug 1998
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialPeer counseling in a culturally specific adolescent pregnancy prevention program.
This study evaluated the effects of peer counseling in a culturally specific adolescent pregnancy prevention program for African American females. A random pretest and multiple posttest experimental and comparison group design was used to obtain data on a sample of 63 female African American adolescents, ages 12 to 16, who lived in four public housing developments. ⋯ Most participants had not had sexual intercourse; the average age of sexual onset was 12 years in the experimental group and 11 years in the controls. Designing and implementing culturally specific adolescent pregnancy prevention programs for adolescents younger than age 11 and/or before sexually active seems appropriate.
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J Health Care Poor Underserved · May 1998
Editorial ReviewCultural humility versus cultural competence: a critical distinction in defining physician training outcomes in multicultural education.
Researchers and program developers in medical education presently face the challenge of implementing and evaluating curricula that teach medical students and house staff how to effectively and respectfully deliver health care to the increasingly diverse populations of the United States. Inherent in this challenge is clearly defining educational and training outcomes consistent with this imperative. ⋯ Cultural humility is proposed as a more suitable goal in multicultural medical education. Cultural humility incorporates a lifelong commitment to self-evaluation and self-critique, to redressing the power imbalances in the patient-physician dynamic, and to developing mutually beneficial and nonpaternalistic clinical and advocacy partnerships with communities on behalf of individuals and defined populations.