Open AccessEnhancing FDA’s Reach to Minorities and Under-Represented Groups through Training: Developing Culturally Competent Health Education Materials
Author(s) -
Jovonni Spinner,
Eboni Haynes,
Cariny Nunez,
Shakia Baskerville,
Katherine Bravo,
Radm Richardae Araojo
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of primary care and community health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.55
H-Index - 19
eISSN - 2150-1327
pISSN - 2150-1319
DOI - 10.1177/21501327211003688
Subject(s) - cultural competence , ethnic group , curriculum , medicine , medical education , health equity , culturally appropriate , cultural diversity , action plan , training (meteorology) , action (physics) , language barrier , nursing , psychology , pedagogy , public health , gerontology , ecology , physics , quantum mechanics , sociology , meteorology , anthropology , biology , linguistics , philosophy
Health communications may not reach intended populations due to cultural and language barriers. These barriers may prohibit consumers from understanding information needed to make informed health decisions. It is important to ensure everyone—especially racial and ethnic minorities and under-served and under-represented populations—has access to information on medical products. One strategy to address this issue is to develop trainings and resources to better understand how cultural competency affects the ability to communicate effectively with racial/ethnic minorities. The FDA’s Office of Minority Health & Health Equity developed a 3-module training to (1) increase staff knowledge of the role that cultural competency plays in determining health communication messages and channels and (2) provide tools to assist them in creating culturally-competent strategies and action plans. Offered on 4 occasions, the 4.5-h interactive training, grounded in adult learning and project-based learning theories, and used curricula, case studies, and multimedia to guide the discussion and group work. Participants also completed an action plan to guide their current work. Cultural competency knowledge was assessed pre- and post-training and training satisfaction was assessed post-training. Among the 53 individuals who completed the training, average knowledge increased by 13.6%. The training was a success based on anecdotal and evaluation feedback. The majority of participants indicated that they would refer their colleagues to the training and apply what they learned in their work. Participants felt the training was meaningful, applicable to their work, and provided an opportunity to learn and engage with their peers. Becoming culturally competent is a process that should be supported through ongoing training to help build a strong communications and health educator workforce with expertise in developing culturally competent messages to meet their constituents’ needs.