Authors

  1. Friday, Vivienne EdD, RN, CNE

Article Content

Cultural competence is the ability to understand, appreciate, and interact with people from different cultures. Nursing students need to develop cultural competence to provide care to an increasingly diverse population. Using a combination of cognitive and experiential teaching and learning activities, sophomore nursing students enrolled in a nutrition course completed an assignment that aimed to create awareness about the relationship between cultural food practices and health and wellness. The students worked in groups of 4 to 6 to identify foods eaten by African Americans, American Indians, Asians, whites, Hispanics, and Native Hawaiians for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and snacks. They reviewed the methods of preparation such as fried, baked, or steamed and the seasonings used, and they identified any illnesses or wellness patterns that were associated with the food practices of each group. The outcome of the assignment was shared in the form of a poster presentation along with a dish from the assigned cultural group. Each group gave an overview of their findings to the entire class, and individuals also visited each poster, asked questions, and sampled the foods of the other groups. In their reflections, the students indicated that they enjoyed working with their groups and tasting different foods and gained a better understanding of the relationships between cultural food practices and health and wellness.