Community Cultural Need
Detailed Description of the Selected Population
African Americans are among the most populous ethnic minority groups in the United States. Although most of them have African ancestry, there are some with non-Black ancestors, too. Some people also identify as black, despite being racially white or Hispanic. Most African Americans descended from enslaved people imported forcefully from their homes in Africa to work in farmlands in the US. Some African Americans are the descendants of Immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean Islands. This community has fully integrated into the United States and has achieved significant economic, political, and social growth. Given their mostly shared history, African Americans also have a comparable culture, which they formed in the United States after many years of collaboration and racial interaction. African American genetic makeup, cultural practices, and nutrition are also unique and may contribute to the development of unique illnesses and health issues, including overweight, obesity, diabetes, and hypertension.
Rationale for Selecting the Population
My interest in understanding how disparity contributes to increased chances of contracting different diseases made me choose black Americans. This involves learning the leading causes of the high hypertension prevalence among blacks. In understanding that, it is easy to understand how the disparity can be addressed to reduce disease cases.
Description of a Cultural/Ethnic Need within the Community
The community is striving to reduce cases of poverty, unhealthy eating, stress, and the use of tobacco along with alcohol. Those practices are the major causes of hypertension and other diseases. Hypertension has become a concern attracting the community’s attention, as it intends to address the issue. Community members strongly advocate for healthy nutrition practices, socioeconomic equality, and increased health insurance coverage. It has been determined that these disparities enhance the prevalence of hypertension among black Americans.
Description of the Approved Health Issue from the Chosen Cultural Population
Hypertension is increasingly becoming common among black Americans, exposing them to other health issues such as cardiovascular disease, Dementia, trouble with memory and understanding, kidney diseases, adrenal gland tumors, aneurysms, and diabetes. Furthermore, hypertension has also resulted in the death of black Americans. According to Brooks et al. (2019), black Americans have a mortality rate of 708 per 100,000, resulting from hypertension. Because black American hypertension risk is twice likely compared to other groups, there is a need to lower the cases. The demographic needs to be taught some healthy habits and addressed disparities to reduce the cases.
Details of the Health Issue
The Health Issue and Leading Health Indicator (LHI) from Healthy People
According to Swihart et al. (2018), hypertension is becoming a costly and serious health issue among blacks. Thus, the issue is ranked as a high-priority issue. It has been determined that approximately 31 percent of blacks in the United States suffer from hypertension. The hypertension-related diseases are categorized among the conditions with the highest number of deaths. Furthermore, it increases medical costs, making it difficult to seek care, especially for people without insurance or below the poverty. Howard et al. (2018) believe that addressing disparity and living with blacks’ living habits can significantly reduce medical costs and improve health status in the United States.
Why the Health Issue Was Selected
The issue was selected due to its felt impact on the Black American community. The Healthy People, health care, and government want to raise awareness of hypertension so that its number can decrease and not overwhelm the medical care industry. Also, they aimed to share some tips that help reduce the causes of hypertension, such as participating in regular physical activities, maintaining a healthy weight, eating healthy diets, and finding a solution to stress and depression early enough.
Why It Is Important to Focus on This Health Issue
The focus on hypertension among black Americans will help in creating awareness. Focusing on the issue helps us understand why it is common and how it can be sorted. The topic helps in understanding the culture of black Americans in understanding hypertension cases among them. Notably, tackling the issue highlights that the problem affects the Black American community and other minority ethnicities. It will help reduce medical costs and the burden brought by hypertension in the healthcare industry.
Clinical Impact
The Relation to Clinical Practice in General
The information is essential because it helps medical practitioners understand some of the practices that cause hypertension, especially minority groups. The information will serve as a guideline for understanding why hypertension is more common among black Americans and not any other group. Furthermore, they will know some of the measures to tackle the problem without disrespecting or devaluing the community’s cultural practices.
How the Community’s Needs and Health Issues Impact My Area
It helps me know and understand some of the health issues affecting the community and the necessary intervention measures to take to address them. Also, the information helps me understand some of the cultural practices in the black American community. I also believe that the information will help me develop better healthcare practices.
References
Brooks, L. A., Manias, E., & Bloomer, M. J. (2019). Culturally sensitive communication in healthcare: A concept analysis. Collegian, 26(3), 383-391. Web.
Howard, G., Cushman, M., Moy, C. S., Oparil, S., Muntner, P., Lackland, D. T.,… & Howard, V. J. (2018). Association of clinical and social factors with excess hypertension risk in black compared with white US adults. Jama, 320(13), 1338-1348. Web.
Swihart, D. L., Yarrarapu, S. N. S., & Martin, R. L. (2018). Cultural religious competence in clinical practice.