Questions from In-Text Case Studies, CNA:EA 4e

Chapter 16: Gaining Cultural Competence in Community Nutrition

Title: Gaining Cultural Competence in a Muslim Community

Questions:

Foundation: Acquisition of Knowledge and Skills

1. Review the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health Care from the chapter text (see Table 16-15).

2. Access the websites (go to top menu—what is halal) and and outline the basic principles of Muslim Dietary Laws; identify foods considered haram and halal.

Step 1: Identify Relevant Information and Uncertainties

1. Using the section of this chapter called “Cultural Encounters,” identify and discuss the cultural food practices and any other components that may be relevant to Muslims. Go to and click on article archive to retrieve the May 2002 article Understanding Muslims and Islamic Dietary Laws.

2. Outline cultural beliefs, attitudes, or practices that you discovered in your research on the Muslim way of life that would be different from those of your ethnicity. How might this affect your interaction with the Muslim immigrants when you hold a group session, share a meal, and conduct individual counseling sessions?

Step 2: Interpret Information

1. Using Table 16-10, indicate what questions you may need to ask the physician before coming to a meeting and what questions you may need to ask the group when you meet with them, to gain a greater understanding of Muslim food habits and behaviors than you have acquired from your Web searching?

2. Review the sections titled “Cultural Encounters” and “Practical Considerations for Interventions” in the chapter text. From your appraisal, indicate which suggested strategies will help you to provide culturally sensitive interventions for your target group.

Step 3: Draw and Implement Conclusions

1. On the basis of your research on Muslim dietary practices, create a Muslim pictorial food guide. For ideas on international pictorial food guides, locate the Journal of the American Dietetic Association in your library, or go to the ADA website to search for the article in the April 2002 issue titled “Comparison of International Food Guide Pictorial Representations.” This can be accessed with your ADA member number; then go to JADA. You can also search pub med at for the article by Cronin, Reflections on food guides and guidance systems, Nutrition Today 33(5) (1998): 186–88.

2. Describe how you would use this pictorial food guide with your target group.

Step 4: Engage in Continuous Improvement

1. Develop additional interventions (resources, community participation, activities, shopping, food preparation, and the like) for presenting information about nutrition and prevention of heart disease as you become more familiar with the Muslim population.