E-Tech: National Minority Health Awareness Month

The Census Bureau reports that, by 2050, the United States will have no clear majority population group. Our national tapestry will continue to be woven with diverse cultural, ethnic, and racial threads.

The current minority populations are emerging as the majority. These groups experience poorer disease control and limited health care options. They have the highest rates of disability and premature death. For example, cancer is the second leading cause of death for most racial and ethnic minorities in the United States. It is the number one killer for Asians. African American men are over twice as likely to die from prostate cancer as White men are. Black women are more likely to die of breast cancer than any other group  Hispanic women have the highest incidence rate for cervical cancer.

These statistics reflect genetic variations, environmental factors, and the cultural and linguistic traits that create and influence specific health behaviors. However, even when minorities have similar levels of access to care, health insurance and education, they often receive poor quality care. This may be a result of inadequate patient to provider communication or provider discrimination.

A national focus on disparities in health status is essential to implement changes in    health care delivery. The government created the Office of Minority Health (OMH) in 1986 to address these health disparities. OMH’s primary responsibility is to improve the health and healthcare possibilities for racial and ethnic minorities. It develops and helps implement programs and practices that address factors which impact health.  An informed population will result in a healthier nation by 2050.

The National Minority Health Month Foundation  (now called The National Minority Quality Forum) launched the first National Minority Health Month in April 2001. Its goal is to inform and educate emerging minority populations about disease prevention and cure.  Scheduled events are designed to increase the understanding of diverse cultural differences within the context of prevailing health-related values and beliefs.

Health care is a cultural construct, arising from beliefs about the nature of disease and the human body. These integrated human behavior patterns include language, customs, and beliefs.  Cultural issues are at the core of health service treatment and preventive interventions. They influence how the patient and the health care provider perceive illness, disease, causes and cures.

One objective of National Minority Health Month is to develop a clearer understanding of cultural competence. This ability to value and incorporate the cultural differences of diverse populations can create a health care system that serves the unique needs of populations whose cultures may be different from the prevailing culture.

This month also addresses the issues surrounding minority under representation in  interventional and observational clinical trials.  Recruiting and retaining participants remains a problem due to lack of cultural competency by the provider and distrust of the health care system by minority group members. Hispanics are particularly affected because they are the largest minority group without medical insurance. These influencers affect valid analysis and outcomes of the studies and dilute what constitutes effective and safe care for these groups.  The cornerstone of this campaign is overcoming minority group barriers through community awareness, education and involvement.

National Minority Health Month raises awareness of disparity and the need to include all groups in health care education, policies, and programs.  Inclusion of marginalized groups in the decision making process creates a health care system that benefits all groups well into this century and beyond.

Ethnic Technologies, LLC – Multicultural Insight
Ethnic Technologies, LLC is the platinum standard in multicultural marketing. The result of over 40 years of continuous ethnic, religious and language preference research, E-Tech allows clients to segment their database by ethnicity, religion, language preference, Hispanic country of origin and gender more accurately and comprehensively than any other approach. The EthniCenter® offers an Assimilation Index, which distinguishes Hispanic individuals based on their ability to speak their Native Language or understand the language of their prevailing culture. E-Tech incorporates a unique approach for the different Hispanic Countries of Origin. After identifying their specific names, E-Tech does a neighborhood analysis using multi-sourced information compiled from our research team. From that data, E-Tech is able to accurately identify the Hispanic individuals’ Country of Origin. The incorporation of Enhanced Neighborhood Analytics (ENA) technology in E-Tech Version 7.3 establishes a new and unprecedented level of granularity and completeness in the ethnic marketing industry. Clients also benefit from and acquire ethnic mailing, telemarketing and email lists for both the United States and Canada. The analytics department at E-TECH offers ethnic data appending services and mapping to provide businesses with an overview of new and existing markets.

For more Information Contact Loretta Poggio Ph.D. at 866-333-8324 ext. 115 or loretta@ethnictechnologies.com. Visit www.ethnictechnologies.com.

SOURCES FOR NATIONAL MINORITY HEALTH MONTH NEWSLETTER

http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov
http://www.nmqf.org
http://www.cdc.gov/omhd/amh/amh.htm
http://healthypeople.gov
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-CA-96-015.html  

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