Qualities of Effective Nutrition Program in Diverse Cultural and Ethnic Groups in a Community Setting

Cultural and ethnic diversity are important issues to consider for a nutritionist who develops a program that targets a community setting where people of varied backgrounds live. It is significant for a nutrition programmer to adapt his or her dietary plans or interventions to the unique cultural ideals, beliefs, and social/economic status of the beneficiary ethnic group. Cultural groups are widely variable in their nutritional habits. Thereby, it is essential for the programmer to possess multicultural competency that enables one to plan programs for the culturally and ethnically diverse groups properly. A nutrition program for culturally and ethically diverse groups should be relevant, culturally competent, and devoid of stereotypes.

First, an effective nutrition program for culturally and ethnically diverse groups should be relevant to their consumption habits. Satia discusses that diet-related disparities are evident when nutrition planners fail to consider the specific nutritional needs of the affected populations. Nutritionists should not assume that any community is homogenous regarding the people’s dietary behaviors. Even the United States has become highly diverse, with a significant 30% of its population comprising of the ethnic minorities. Therefore, nutritional programs for such communities should consider their specific dietary needs.

Second, it is vital for a good nutrition plan to achieve cultural competence. The most successful nutrition programs are developed by planners who identify themselves culturally with the populations that benefit from their plans. The quality ensures that planners develop nutrition programs with in-depth understanding of the precise consumption patterns.

Finally, the program should avoid stereotypes. Some tendencies of social classifications of ethnic groups, especially the majority ones, are misleading. For instance, Satia explains that the common assumption is that the Asian-Americans are a homogenous group, yet it is false. The Asian-Americans belong to twenty different countries that are culturally and linguistically diverse. Hence, they have unique food preferences. The nutritional program should treat the needs of each cultural group uniquely.

In conclusion, an effective nutritional program for a culturally diverse ethnic community should achieve the qualities of relevance, cultural competence, and avoidance of stereotypes. The aspect of relevance enables the planner to create a program without disparities, while cultural competency makes the plan acceptable since it is based on the exact consumption habits. Avoidance of stereotypes is basic because the planner overcomes the misleading assumptions.

This article on quality of nutrition was written by Heiley Durst - professional writer from bestwritingservice where you can find similar essay on nutrition https://bestwritingservice.com/essays/Health/nutrition-1.html and other articles of this author.