Leave no asthmatic child behind: the cultural competency of asthma educational materials

Objective: Cultural competency leads to higher quality care for asthmatic children, yet it is not known whether asthma educational materials targeting minority children and families are culturally competent. The study objective was to evaluate the cultural competency of printed asthma educational materials targeting minorities in Wisconsin. Patients and Methods: The Wisconsin Asthma Coalition Disparities Workgroup held a series of meetings to develop, test, and apply a tool for evaluating the cultural competency of asthma educational materials targeting minorities in Wisconsin. The tool consists of seven domains: language, normative cultural values, folk illnesses, parent/patient beliefs, provider practices, visuals, and an overall assessment. Asthma educational materials were obtained from healthcare organizations and clinics. All seven domains were scored using a 5-point Likert scale. Results: Only 17 asthma educational materials targeting minorities exist in Wisconsin: 16 for Latinos, one for Native Americans, none for African Americans, and none for Asians/Pacific Islanders. Overall assessment scores for each material ranged from 1-2 (poor-fair), with a mean±SD=1.4±0.5. The highest mean domain scores were for language (3.5±1.2) and illustrations (3.4±1.4); the lowest score was for folk illnesses (1.1±0.2), with weaknesses identified for parent/patient beliefs (1.8±0.7); provider practices (1.8±0.7); and normative cultural values (2.5±0.7). Conclusions: The few asthma educational materials targeting minorities that exist in Wisconsin are not culturally competent. More culturally competent asthma educational materials for minorities are needed.