Mode of Program Participation
Academic Scholarship
Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
Measuring Health Care Provider Cultural Competency with Appalachian Populations: Validation of a Modified Cultural Self Efficacy Scale
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
While researchers have identified major health determinants for Appalachian populations as well as chronic diseases common to those in the region, less known is the cultural competency of health care providers who serve in Appalachia. Furthermore, current measures of health providers’ self-rated cultural competence in the provision of care do not include Appalachian cultures. This presentation focuses on the results of a validation study of a cultural self-efficacy scale modified to consider work with people from Appalachia. The Cultural Self-Efficacy Scale or CSES is a self-report measure of an individual's confidence working with various ethnic groups. Previous researchers have applied and validated this measure with Asian Americans, Hispanics, and African Americans. The researchers administered the CSES via an online survey to a nationally representative sample of 113 health care workers from various disciplines including social work, nursing, and medicine. Results of an exploratory factor analysis showed that the underlying factor structure for those rating their comfort working with Appalachian populations was different than in previous studies that focused on cultural self-efficacy with African-Americans, Asian-Americans, and Hispanics. Furthermore, the average level of provider comfort working with Appalachian populations was lower than the average level of comfort previously reported with African-Americans, Asian-Americans, and Hispanics. This study points to the importance of including Appalachians as a distinct cultural group in measures of cultural competency. The results of this study also point to the need to acknowledge Appalachian cultures in the preparation of health care providers who endeavor to practice in the region.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Cecile Dietrich, PhD, RN, is statistician for the CARE project, a HRSA funded project housed in the Radford University School of Nursing. Her background and interests include higher education research and community mental health.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Pamela Frasier, PhD, EMT is Associate Professor of Health Education/Health Promotion at Radford University. Her published works are in the areas of curriculum development and evaluation and community-based participatory research on violence against women.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #3
Mr. Ryan Nichols is a senior at Radford University in Health Education/Health Promotion.
Measuring Health Care Provider Cultural Competency with Appalachian Populations: Validation of a Modified Cultural Self Efficacy Scale
While researchers have identified major health determinants for Appalachian populations as well as chronic diseases common to those in the region, less known is the cultural competency of health care providers who serve in Appalachia. Furthermore, current measures of health providers’ self-rated cultural competence in the provision of care do not include Appalachian cultures. This presentation focuses on the results of a validation study of a cultural self-efficacy scale modified to consider work with people from Appalachia. The Cultural Self-Efficacy Scale or CSES is a self-report measure of an individual's confidence working with various ethnic groups. Previous researchers have applied and validated this measure with Asian Americans, Hispanics, and African Americans. The researchers administered the CSES via an online survey to a nationally representative sample of 113 health care workers from various disciplines including social work, nursing, and medicine. Results of an exploratory factor analysis showed that the underlying factor structure for those rating their comfort working with Appalachian populations was different than in previous studies that focused on cultural self-efficacy with African-Americans, Asian-Americans, and Hispanics. Furthermore, the average level of provider comfort working with Appalachian populations was lower than the average level of comfort previously reported with African-Americans, Asian-Americans, and Hispanics. This study points to the importance of including Appalachians as a distinct cultural group in measures of cultural competency. The results of this study also point to the need to acknowledge Appalachian cultures in the preparation of health care providers who endeavor to practice in the region.
