Does Correcting Myths About the Flu Vaccine Work? Essay Example

Introduction

Diversity offers a considerable advantage in the manner in which a team is able to work effectively to promote its cause and to perform outreach to attract interest in its activities. This requires an important understanding of the values and beliefs that impact the team and how it is able to conduct an intervention that will have a positive and lasting impact on the group and program participants. The team must demonstrate an unimportant understanding of the tools and resources that will impact outcomes for participants and how to address diversity in the program content. This will reflect a means of understanding the dynamics of the situation and to recognize that diversity will move the intervention forward to the next level and provide an additional dynamic to encourage effective results. The team must be able to recognize diversity and how it impacts the group and its intervention in order to support a framework that will have a lasting impact on outcomes and on the development of new perspectives to promote equality and encourage all members to participate in the intervention as best as possible.

Body

Recognizing the benefits of diversity within the intervention is an important step towards the discovery of new techniques and strategies to improve vaccination rates and general wellbeing. Therefore, cultural competence must be demonstrated by team members in order to recognize any possible risks associated with health disparities that exist among participants (Perez & Luquis, 2013). This reflects a need to further examine the different issues that are likely to impact the group and to be proactive in working towards a programmatic effort that will positively impact the intervention. The opportunities must be available to encourage individuals to be effective in communicating a culturally competent message to improve the health of all persons, regardless of culture and regardless of age (Edelman, Mandie, & Kudzma, 2013). Diversity within health education is a critical factor in enabling individuals to move forward and to seek vaccinations due to increased access and the recognition of cultural diversity. There must be a greater focus on the development of new perspectives to improve cultural competence and to recognize diversity for its contribution to healthcare education (Rajaram & Bockrath, 2015).

Regardless of culture, barriers must be minimized through education and must demonstrate a means of understanding the dynamics of educating all persons to improve quality of life (Barrera, Castro, Strycker, & Toobert, 2013). This process is critical because it empowers the group to have an opportunity to share ideas and to discover ways to prevent disparities and inequality in the treatment of patients across different cultures. There are many inequalities that exist within healthcare practice; therefore, these must be addressed in a comprehensive context in order to effectively promote equivalency in obtaining vaccinations and in other areas (Bleich, Jarlenski, Bell, & LaVeist, 2012). This reflects a need to further examine the different perspectives that promote diversity and equality in providing care and treatment to patients in this capacity.

A diverse approach to vaccination education also represents a means of understanding the dynamics of care and treatment that impact outcomes in a positive manner. This requires a diverse approach to health promotion and to educate all patients on the same level to ensure that patients from different cultures receive the same opportunities, even if they are from different cultures (Huff, Kline, & Peterson, 2014). This will empower individuals to make positive decisions and to demonstrate their ability to focus on different aspects of education that will positively impact decision-making and access to resources (Huff et.al, 2014). In the team setting, it is the responsibility of each member to optimize the conditions under which knowledge is shared and to be cognizant of cultural diversity and embrace these differences to ensure that all participants are educated equally (Huff et.al, 2014). Clarifying any misconceptions regarding vaccine education requires a diverse approach to the subject that is also sensitive to the beliefs and core values of different cultures (Nyhan & Reiffler, 2015). There must be a significant emphasis placed on the group’s overall focus on diversity and in encouraging those from different cultures to be proactive in providing knowledge to a variety of groups to facilitate their willingness to obtain vaccinations on a more frequent basis. It is also important to recognize that prior perceptions and experiences with vaccinations may play a role in current and future decision-making regarding these vaccines and what is required to facilitate an increased number of vaccinations in the future (Whalen et.al, 2014).  Therefore, vaccination education must reflect a commitment to understanding the needs of different patient populations and in supporting a dynamic that is based upon the recognition of cultural diversity among participants.

Conclusion

Diversity in educating a group of individuals regarding influenza vaccinations is of critical importance in promoting an effective approach to care and treatment that will impact the success of the intervention program. This requires team members to exercise cultural competence in this process and to be aware of the different issues that may emerge within the intervention itself. Cultural needs and disparities must be addressed in an effort to reduce these risks and to provide further support for the overall educational endeavor. Each member of the team must possess an ability to think with a culturally diverse perspective in mind and must be able to execute the chosen educational strategy without difficulty. This will enable participants to examine their perspectives regarding vaccinations and to be more proactive in making decisions regarding whether or not they will aim to protect themselves by taking advantage of these vaccination tools.

References

Barrera Jr, M., Castro, F. G., Strycker, L. A., & Toobert, D. J. (2013). Cultural adaptations of behavioral health interventions: A progress report. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 81(2), 196.

Bleich, S. N., Jarlenski, M. P., Bell, C. N., & LaVeist, T. A. (2012). Health inequalities: trends, progress, and policy. Annual review of public health, 33, 7.

Edelman, C. L., Mandle, C. L., & Kudzma, E. C. (2013). Health promotion throughout the life span. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Huff, R. M., Kline, M. V., & Peterson, D. V. (Eds.). (2014). Health promotion in multicultural populations: a handbook for practitioners and students. SAGE publications.

Nyhan, B., & Reifler, J. (2015). Does correcting myths about the flu vaccine work? An experimental evaluation of the effects of corrective information.Vaccine, 33(3), 459-464.

Pérez, M. A., & Luquis, R. R. (2013). Cultural competence in health education and health promotion. John Wiley & Sons.

Rajaram, S. S., & Bockrath, S. (2015). Cultural Competence: New Conceptual Insights into its Limits and Potential for Addressing Health Disparities. Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice, 7(5), 6.

Whalen, D., Molnar, D., Milne, F., Schwal, L., Hackett, V., & Coffman, J. (2014). Flu vaccine experiences and beliefs influence vaccination decision making more than knowledge. F1000Research, 3.