Analyzing Diversity and Multiculturalism in Public Health Practices

This report delves into the critical roles of diversity and multiculturalism within public health, emphasizing the need to understand and address health disparities that disproportionately affect minority groups. It highlights the significance of cultural competence among healthcare professionals and organizations, stressing how recognizing and respecting diverse backgrounds can lead to improved patient outcomes. The report analyzes the effects of historical, cultural, and socioeconomic factors on health, advocating for balanced health systems that prioritize health promotion, early detection, and universal access. It proposes specific goals and objectives, such as raising awareness and promoting health literacy, involving the government in policy and legislation to regulate inappropriate advertisements, and discouraging disparities in public health. The report underscores the importance of incorporating these changes into the training of health professionals to prepare them adequately to care for patients from diverse backgrounds. The report references various sources to support its findings, providing a comprehensive understanding of the subject.

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Introduction
Diversity focuses on understanding the uniqueness of each and acknowledging our differences. It
is broad in that it focuses on race, gender, socio-economic status, ethnicity, sexual orientation,
religious beliefs, physical abilities, political beliefs, and age. Multiculturalism is the
representation to the needs and contributions of all different cultural groups in the society by
giving equal attention. It also involves beliefs and behaviors that respect and recognize the
presence of all groups in society (Falender, Shafranske & Falicov, 2014).
When it comes to health practice, many health facilities encounter conditions of cognitive
complexity, time pressure and cost-containment demand processes that lead to poor care when it
comes to the needs of minority groups (Ferdman, 2017). They suffer barriers of culture, language
communication, and geographical location when accessing care, unlike the whites. Equality in
health provision is not natural but requires a determined effort that is consistent to improve.
Diversity and multiculturalism agree to the idea that each person can make contributions that are
unique and positive to the society irrespective of their differences (Hartmann, 2015). When it
comes to health disparities, racism and race-based maltreatments are the core directives. It is
essential to acknowledge and understand the effects of historical, cultural, and socio-economic
aspects on the health of minority groups. Public health professionals should consider aligning
their work holistically by respecting and supporting the ways of the people to achieve their
desired health outcomes (Truong, Paradies & Priest, 2014).
There is a need for a balanced health system in health promotion, early detection of illnesses and
prevention and access that is universal. This requires collective effort where all people are
included (Truong, Paradies & Priest, 2014). Diversity is essential in that it defines our
environment. Getting to know people from different races, their life history, strengths and
weaknesses and what makes them helps in eliminating health disparities (Napier, et al, 2014). In
public health practice and research, there is a need for diverse health professionals to achieve the
goal of reducing health disparities. The U.S has the greatest multicultural makeup, and the
number will continue to grow as more people seek better lives there. This poses challenges
especially for medical professionals who are required to relate with patients at a personal level
(Yoder-Wise, 2014). They need qualities of understanding, acceptance of patient’s values,
compassion, behaviors, and sensitivity. To meet social, cultural and linguistic requirements of
the patients' health professionals require cultural competence (Ruth Grant Kalischuk RN, 2014).
Cultural competence is essential in that it benefits the health providers and health organizations
(Betancourt, et al, 2016). The benefits are respect between the professionals and patients,
promotion of trust and responsibility towards the patient while in turn be empowered. When
patients are heard and understood by their health providers, they participate in preventive care
towards their health (Lecca, et al, 2014).

Perspectives are essential in that they are not limited to a single social sphere but encompass
various fields should be taken into account for the improvement of public health. They remind us
of what is essential or not. They are crucial to suggesting wrongs. Basically what they do is that
they organize issues and allow people to see problems clearly while they allow you to use them.
Currently, the goals and objectives as they are in unit 4 only focused on the need to eradicate
obesity among the Americans with the focus on food and calorie intake to the people. Either they
require some adjustments to be inclusive in cultural diversity. This will enable health
professionals, and different patients understand the need for equity while promoting cultural
diversity.
Goal 1: Develop awareness and motivate specific health literacy levels to encourage
participants to modify their behavior and ensure the development of cultural diversity.
Objective 1: Distribution of pamphlets that are in line with health professionals each community
member group and the level of literacy to create awareness and complications about diversity
and multiculturalism in public health practices.
Objective 2: many health conditions should be conducted at the community level to help
minority groups and health providers undertake the set strategies. This will ensure cultural
competence and eliminate health disparities.
Cultural diversity awareness creates an understanding of different ethnicity and racial
backgrounds and the need for change to appreciate the uniqueness of each person.
Goal 2: Involve the government in policy and legislation created to regulate inappropriate
advertisements that negatively influence unhealthy behaviors and encourage racism and
ethnicity.
Objective 1: Conduct social analysis and develop reports that need to be sent to the
government to make them identify how inappropriate advertisements on television and social
media can result in racially based standings.

Objective 2: The concerns to the government advocates on how this affects the youths of
the nation and develop a policy based on possible legislation to ban such advertisements based
ethnic and racial posts and pose strict penalties for breaking such rules. The policy would be
developed and published by December 2018.
All advertisements should be monitored on both electronic and print media should be stopped
Reason: Daily, citizens get exposed to advertisements that are discriminative The
government will spearhead this initiative by limiting screen time, monitoring media activities
while encouraging health professionals learn cultural competence and accommodate cultural
diversity in public health sectors.
GOAL3: Rally the Government to develop policies that discourage disparities in public
health and encourage cultural diversity.
Objective 1: Collect data about how many people have faced bias in treatment This
would help the government obtain an idea about the resources needed to introduce cultural
competence in health institutions. This should be achieved by 22nd December 2018.
Objective 2: By 22nd December 2018 advocates on need for diversity in health practice
and research. Develop policy for different communities to help them understand what health
diversity is.
Reason: Government should encourage cultural diversity in all sectors through leadership plans
that oversee its implementation.
All these changes can be implemented by each individual in all sectors of health so as to
eradicate any possibilities of health disparities that may disadvantage the minority groups when
it comes to health. It is important to incorporate the changes also to the trainees of health
profession to adequately prepare them to care for different patients from different backgrounds.

References
Betancourt, J. R., Green, A. R., Carrillo, J. E., & Owusu Ananeh-Firempong, I. I. (2016).
Defining cultural competence: a practical framework for addressing racial/ethnic disparities in
health and health care. Public health reports.
Falender, C. A., Shafranske, E. P., & Falicov, C. J. (2014). Diversity and multiculturalism in
supervision.
Ferdman, B. M. (2017). Paradoxes of inclusion: Understanding and managing the tensions of
diversity and multiculturalism. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 53(2), 235-263.
Hartmann, D. (2015). Reflections on race, diversity, and the crossroads of multiculturalism. The
Sociological Quarterly, 56(4), 623-639.
Lecca, P. J., Quervalu, I., Nunes, J. V., & Gonzales, H. F. (2014). Cultural competency in
health, social & human services: Directions for the 21st century. Routledge.
Napier, A. D., Ancarno, C., Butler, B., Calabrese, J., Chater, A., Chatterjee, H., ... & Macdonald,
A. (2014). Culture and health. The Lancet, 384(9954), 1607-1639.
Ruth Grant Kalischuk RN, P. H. D. (2014). Conceptualizations of culture and cultural care
among undergraduate nursing students: An exploration and critique of cultural
education. Journal of cultural diversity, 21(3), 99.
Truong, M., Paradies, Y., & Priest, N. (2014). Interventions to improve cultural competency in
healthcare: a systematic review of reviews. BMC health services research, 14(1), 99.
Yoder-Wise, P. S. (2014). Leading and managing in nursing-E-Book. Elsevier Health Sciences.