Cultural and linguistic competency are at the core of many research programs. However, the implementation of such principles into research are often not actualized. In our project we tried to obtain information on why public insurance programs for children such as Medi-Cal and Healthy Families are underutilized by Asian Americans. We concretized the principles of cultural and linguistic competence by involving community based organizations and communities in each step of the process. Through focus groups, key informant interviews and in collaboration with community based organizations we developed questions that we felt were cultural competent. These discussions helped us to recognize the specific barriers that each ethnic community felt in enrolling in publically funded health programs. We applied the information we gained to appropriately adapt the telephone survey that was generated to be used across several ethnic groups and tailored it to meet the specific cultural and linguistic needs of the Asian American community. Often times, this meant the addition of certain questions and the adaptation of others already present in the survey instrument. Development of cultural competent research ensures that research materials are translated into the respective languages but it also means asking questions that are relevant in a manner that all members of a community are comfortable in answering. Only when we are truly able to involve the communities in research will be begin to understand how to conduct research so that we are able to gain the most information from the communities we wish to study.
Learning Objectives: -Define cultural & linguistic competency in the context of research -Discuss how to incorporate notions of cultural & linguistic competency into research methodologies -Evaluate research methodologies that incorporate cultural & linguistic modifications -Prioritize working with community based organizations and community members to define and employ cultural competent research
Keywords: Access, Cultural Competency
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.