Calling all clinicians: Impacting the health and quality of life for older women by attending to culturally bound beliefs


Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

3138.2: Monday, December 12, 2005 - 12:30 PM

Abstract #115511

Kimberly Adams Tufts, ND, WHNP, FAAN, Nursing, Old Dominion University, 108 Smythe Court, Apt. 202, Virginia Beach, VA 23452, 757-683-5011, ktufts@odu.edu

Currently, more than 40 million American women are postmenopausal and by the year 2030 this number is predicted to rise to 60 million (Office of Women's Health, 2004). Significant numbers of these women are persons from ethnic minority backgrounds. Impacting the quality of life of these women, promoting health, and facilitating the prevention of the sequelae of chronic illnesses are major public health concerns. Attention to the cultural context of health care is an essential element of providing quality health care to these women. The cultural beliefs of racial and ethnic minorities can be integrated into planned treatment protocols. Three patient care scenarios are presented as a platform for discussing a culturally competent approach to helping women make informed choices regarding the management of perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms and decreasing health related risks. The ETHNIC (Explanation, Treatment, Healers, Negotiate, Intervention, and Collaboration) approach is offered as effective framework for assessing women's culturally bound perceptions regarding health and for developing strategies for teaching, counseling, and providing care (Levine, 2000

Learning Objectives:

After participating in this session the learner will be able to

Discuss the connection between cultural competence and the provision of quality health care for women.
List four cultural competence strategies that are derived from the ETHNIC approach.

Keywords: Cultural Competency, Women's Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

International and Cultural Perspectives on Women's Health

The 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition (December 10-14, 2005) of APHA