A culturally competent model of care for African Americans

African Americans are one of the largest ethnic groups in the United States. Data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census (2001) reveal that there are approximately 34,333,000 African Americans residing in the United States, representing 12.1% of the total population. The African-American population is expected to increase to 40.2 million by 2010 (American Demographics, Inc., 1991). Health disparities among the African-American population include life expectancy, heart disease, hypertension, infant morality and morbidity rates, cancer, HIV/AIDS, violence, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and asthma. The purpose of this article is to address the issue of health disparities among African Americans by providing nurses with a practice model of cultural competence.