Blood Pressure
The three factors of cultural empowerment according to the Pen-3 model can and should be taken into account when working with the target population. Each of the three factors of cultural empowerment: positive, existential/exotic, and negative, impact the overall health of the individual and community. Positive factors of cultural empowerment refer to "the perceptions, enablers and nurturers that may cause an individual, family or community to engage in health practices that contribute to improved health status and must be encouraged," (Campbell, 1995). Within the African-American male community, these positive factors might include the eating of more leafy green vegetables, riding bicycle instead of driving to work, and participating in community projects. Positive factors promote health within the specific frameworks and reference points of the community. Therefore, these lifestyle choices and behaviors do not conflict with core values and identity. They can be an integral part of cultural empowerment as well as personal and public health. Supporting, for example, the introduction of healthy soul food dishes into a person's diet would...
Health is supported via the consumption of dishes like collard greens and black-eyed peas, which are integral to the African-American culinary experience. Another example of a positive cultural empowerment would be the participation in local politics, which can uplift the entire community and mitigate the experience of racism. As the CDC (2010) points out, barbers in the African-American community can be a source of positive information dissemination about blood pressure prevention.
The existential or exotic elements of cultural empowerment have a net neutral impact on individual and community health. As Campbell (1995) puts it, "These are unfamiliar practices that have no harmful health consequences and therefore do not need to be changed." For example, prayer and other religious practices can be viewed as existential and exotic. They certainly do not harm the individual, and as cultural icons must be supported by the healthcare team. Even those practices that seem strange and exotic -- such as personal quirks and rituals -- should not be changed for no apparent reason. The existential or exotic factors…
