Communicating Across Diverse and Differently Literate Audiences [chapter]

Jennifer E. Mersereau, Anna R. Brandon
2013 Oncofertility Communication  
The majority of health information is delivered in English [ 1 ] . Yet, according to the US Census Bureau, about 20.3 % of the population speaks a language other than English in the home, a number that increased by 140 % between 1980 and 2007 [ 2 , 3 ]. More than 400 languages are spoken in the United States [ 2 ]; more than 50 million people residing in the United States (16 %) are of Hispanic or Latino origin alone, an increase of 15.2 million just in the last decade, and growing at 4 times
more » ... 3 %) the growth of the total population (10 %). Practically illustrating the disparities, one cross-sectional study revealed that while whites received 57 % of all eligible health services, only 35 % of Hispanics with limited English profi ciency received the health services for which they were eligible [ 4 ] . Although inequities in health care result from multiple factors, research suggests that those minorities with limited English profi ciency are among the groups treated most unfairly [ 1 ] . Communication, however, is more than speaking the same "language." Attitudes, beliefs, and values passed down through generations in families and societies have a signifi cant impact on both the clinician and the patient regarding expectations for care and outcomes. A sample of 74 Russian-speaking cancer patients in San Francisco, California highlighted that cultural taboos about the word "cancer" and other dynamics of care benefi t from interpreters trained to understand the interaction of language and culture [ 5 ]. Cultural "mismatches," occurring when provider and
doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-8235-2_2 fatcat:c5su5zawkbbtfpfxdgwthy4bye