The current status of children’s cardiovascular health

A call has arisen for a national framework for cultural awareness and sensitivity education in health education professional preparation programs. Critical to the success of this endeavor is a more detailed evaluation of course content and teaching strategies presently used. In this study, information was collected from 47 undergraduate and 41 graduate health education programs across the country. Questions were asked about the number of courses providing cultural sensitivity education and cultural competence development, course provisions for the study of specific under represented groups, and teaching strategies deemed most effective. Results indicated that specific cultural sensitivity and competence training components are lacking in most programs, a variety of under represented groups are studied, and hands-on community-based educational experiences receive little attention. Specific suggestions are provided for the foci of future curriculum development and health educator training and for further research in this area.