Health Literacy In African American Culture Essay

Healthcare providers must understand how health traditions and views impact health outcomes in African American communities. Each culture has different preferences for how they navigate healthcare systems, so it is imperative health providers are culturally competent in care for all cultures. Health literacy is a major factor in the African American community, which stems from multiple barriers to healthcare. Low health literacy in Black communities is rooted in historical power structures where discriminatory policies were present systems (Muvuka et al., 2020). When there are discriminatory policies and practices are in place, it hinders individuals from accessing skills and resources to understand health outcomes. Systemic factors also contribute

Omenka et al. (2020) studied the health experiences and needs of the African American population in the United States. The results showed that in the United States, healthcare providers have scare knowledge of the Black population compared to other cultures and ethnicities (Omenka et al., 2020). Omenka et al. (2020) explain this gap in knowledge regarding health experiences and needs in Black populations is due to low research in health around the Black community, and the view that all Black populations are the same and have the same healthcare needs. The study proves a need for improvement in our health delivery systems around cultural competency. If healthcare providers understand cultural perspectives around illnesses, providers will understand what shapes African American health experiences and decision-making (Omenka et al., 2020). For example, African Americans view diseases such as cancer as a spiritual issue, so they are more likely to seek traditional healing in their home countries (Omenka et al., 2020). The African American individuals will not want the typical treatment of chemotherapy that is used in the United States to treat cancer. With a lack of culturally competent providers in the United States, African Americans are more likely to have a distrust in health systems, which can put them at risk of negative health outcomes. The complexity of the United States healthcare system, the cost of care, and bias healthcare provider attitudes hinder healthcare systems from learning more about the African American healthcare needs and experiences. In all healthcare delivery systems, providers must know how to address the health concerns of all