Culture affects minority asthma education

Dallas -- Educational materials meant to help minorities with asthma need to consider the cultural contexts, a U.S. study found.

An example cited in the study, published in Ethnicity & Disease, said a flier distributed to American Indians in Wisconsin didn't take into account cultural issues specific to American Indians such as distrust of maintenance asthma medications and the practice of smudging -- a cleansing ritual in which sage and other plants are burned creating potential asthma triggers.

Lead study author Dr. Jane Brotanek, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, who conducted the study while at Medical College of Wisconsin, said cultural competency in asthma care matters, because "minorities are significantly more likely to be hospitalized for or die from asthma."

"Some Navajo families in particular don't see asthma as a chronic disease, so they don't use daily controller medication to keep it in check," Brotanek said in a statement. "They fear their child will become dependent on the medicine, so some parents even try to wean their child off the medicine."

The researchers identified 17 asthma educational handouts targeting minority children and their families in Wisconsin. None of the asthma educational materials specifically targeted African-Americans,15 fliers were for Hispanics and one for American Indians. The team said it found many erroneous translations in the Spanish-language materials.

© 2007 United Press International.