CQ: Beyond Lip Service
How important is CQ - really? Understanding your clients' diverse cultures - their values, traditions, history and institutions - is more than political correctness. Even though many of us haven't spent a lot of time thinking about CQ, it's integral to providing high-quality services. "Stereotypes begin at a knee-jerk, unconscious level," warns Linda Larkey, Ph.D., research associate professor with the University of Arizona's Department of Family & Community Medicine, who is researching how to reach minority populations with cancer prevention messages. "People have a lot more biases than they are even aware of."
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Health Disparities
2005 Department of Health Services (www.azdhs.gov) statistics paint an alarming picture. On average: The death rate for Hispanic diabetics was 128.9% greater. Native Americans were 20 years younger at time of death than whites. Cervical cancer rates among female Asians or Pacific Islanders were 119% higher. White women were 72.2% more likely to use tobacco during pregnancy. The rate of HIV infection among African Americans was 283.3% greater. |
When these biases show up in the healthcare field, the results can be deadly. Research shows people of diverse racial, ethnic and cultural heritages suffer disproportionately from cardiovascular disease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and every form of cancer. While socioeconomic factors play a role in these health disparities, cultural incompetence enters the picture as well.
©2008 TAP is funded and managed by St. Luke's Health Initiatives, Phoenix, Arizona 85012
Phone: (602) 385-6500 Fax: (602) 385-6510 feedback@slhi.org
