Acknowledging the important role of culture in the practice of health promotion and health services delivery, health communication scholars Barbara Sharf and Vicki Freimuth noted the importance of addressing the cultural nuances and complexities in designing, implementing, and evaluating health service delivery and health communication [Page 281]strategies. The cultural sensitivity approach is a broad umbrella for labels such as multiculturalism, cultural relevance, cultural appropriateness, cultural consistency, cultural tailoring, and cultural targeting, and is based on the importance of understanding cultural characteristics in shaping the development of health policies, programs, and professional education. That cultural traits of different communities need to be taken into account in the development of targeting strategies lies at the heart of the cultural sensitivity approach to health communication.

Sharf and J. Kahler's ...