As an emerging population, the African American ethnic minority group is one of largest minority population within the U.S. As a people, African Americans origin indicates African ancestry, however many African Americans are of non-African American ancestors. This emerging population is largely descendants of slaves, which is defined as individuals brought from their African homelands by force with the intentions of working in the New World (“African Americans”). As history has indicated, African Americans have had their rights severely limited, as well as denied their rightful share within the economic, political, and social progression of the U.S. Contributing to American culture and history, the African American population accounts for 13.3% of the total population at 323, 127, 513 (based on the 2016 United States Census Bureau) (“Quick Facts: United States”). As an emerging population increasing 4% since the 2010 U.S. Consensus, the African American ethnic minority group has roughly 13.6% of its population in fair or poor health (“National Center for Health Statistics”).
The African American population has several health care issues specific to the emerging population, such as bipolar disorder, smoking, obesity, and hypertension. According to the CDC, the leading causes of death within this emerging population entail heart disease, cancer, and stroke (“National Center for Health Statistics”).Specifically, bipolar disorder has the same impact among African Americans as it does other Americans, however African Americans have a tendency of being less likely to receive diagnosis or treatment. It is estimated that over 2.3 million American suffer from bipolar disorder, which is also described as manic-depressive illness. Most African American suffering with bipolar disorder are going undiagnosed and untreated. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) listed article, Black American folk medicine health care beliefs: implication for nursing plans of care, many African Americans attest good health with luck or success and poor health (illness or disease) with fate, poverty, turmoil, and bad luck (Giger, et al 1992). It has also been attributed within the culture as due to unemployment and the lack of consulting with a physician. As an emerging population, African Americans have a culture that also attempts home remedies as first options prior to reaching out to a physician for assistance. African American culture embraces folk medicine health care beliefs, ultimately resulting to physicians as a last result to be a patient. Signs of bipolar disorder have a tendency of starting during one’s teens, including the following: easily irritated, extremely happy, needing little sleep, aggressive behavior, paranoia, and depressive. Based on the health-related cultural aspects of the African American emerging population, there are various considerations related to the nurse’s role when caring for this emerging population.
As a nurse caring for this emerging population, it is essential to take into consideration the following when caring for bipolar disorder: 1) patient has exhausted any available or known cultural home remedy options; 2) many African-Americans within the emerging population participate in a family-church centered culture; 3) nurse is thought to assume responsibility of recognizing cultural medical practices, as well as the medical remedies from the western based on cultural beliefs (Giger, et al 1992). It is vital the nurse assumes the role to determine if home remedies have interfered with traditional medical approaches. As a nurse to this emerging population, it is essential to assist the African American patient to understand the dangers of home remedies, if harmful. The roles of the nurse includes (but not limited to): strong emphasis on educating the patient, navigating patient to modern-day preventive methods and cures, and observing the various and usefulness of the cultural embedded medical care practices of the patient (Giger, et al 1992). According to the Euro Med Info website, many “cultures have systems of health beliefs to explain what causes illness, how it can be cured or treated, and who should be involved in the process (“How culture influences health beliefs”). Nurses should take into consideration cultural relevance or perception of patient education will impact the emerging population’s reception to the provided information and willingness to use the information. The African American emerging population relies heavily on support system through family, church, extended kinships, including key family member for important health-care decisions. Cultural variances between health and beliefs substantial impact the African American population compliance to health recommendations and modern-day practices. Additional issues may be encounter by the client or family within the African American emerging population in our health care system, as a result to their beliefs. The risks of interference with modern-day traditional healthcare practices or even death are possible dangers the emerging population beliefs.
As one of the largest emerging populations, the African American ethnic minority group has encountered various interferences throughout history to modern-day, including rights and health care. Relying on the emerging population’s family, faith, and cultural home remedies, this ethnic minority group has several health care issues ranging from hypertension to heart disease, specifically bipolar disorder. Due to health-related cultural aspects of the emerging population, it is the nurse’s role to take into consideration all possible cultural information to determine the adequate approach to aid the patient aliments. Including key cultural aspects related to the patients’ health, the nurse with have an opportunity to educate the patient to the best health care practices for treatment. Taking into consideration the nurse’s role, health care issues specific to the African American emerging populations, and health-related cultural aspects, the nurse is essentially equipped to obtain adequate successful results in treating bipolar disorder.
- African Americans. (2017, July 14). Retrieved August 04, 2017, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/African-American
- Giger, J. N., Davidhizar, R. E., & Turner, G. (1992). Black American folk medicine health care beliefs: implication for nursing plans of care. Retrieved August 05, 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1554896
- How culture influences health beliefs. (n.d.). Retrieved August 05, 2017, from http://www.euromedinfo.eu/how-culture-influences-health-beliefs.html/
- National Center for Health Statistics. (2017, May 03). Retrieved August 05, 2017, from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/black-health.htm
- QuickFacts: United States. (2016, July 1). Retrieved August 04, 2017, from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045216
