According to the Georgetown University National Center for Cultural Competence, “cultural influences” refer to the beliefs, values, traditions, and practices of a culture that, in the context of health care and medicine, define the health-related needs of individuals, families, and communities. These include the culturally based belief systems of the etiology of illness and disease, those related to health and healing, and attitudes towards seeking help from health care providers. According to the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, “Social and cultural factors influence health by affecting exposure and vulnerability to disease, risk-taking behaviors, the effectiveness of health promotion efforts, and access to, availability of, and quality of health care.” 

Below are more resources from across NIH for researchers to understand and consider the importance of cultural competence to promote effective and culturally-informed recruitment and retention strategies:

• Reducing Health Disparities to Improve the Health of All Women Blog post by Dr. Janine Clayton
• NIH Cultural Respect
• NIA Cultural Competence
• NIMHD Reaching People in Multiple Languages
   

Studies and Lectures on Cultural Competence

• Cultural Competence in Clinical Communication by Cheryl Kodjo (2009)
• What Has the Literature Taught Us About Culturally Competent Care of Women and Children by Lynn Callister (2005)
• Engaging Transgender People in NIH-Funded HIV/AIDS Clinical Trials Research by Rona Siskind et al. (2016)
• Culture: The Missing Link in Health Research by Singer et al. (2016)
• “A Community Approach to Breast Cancer Prevention: Addressing Health Disparities” by Lucile Adams-Campbell (2019 Lecture)