Health disparities among men from racial and ethnic minority populations.

The purpose of this chapter is to review empirical nursing literature on the health care of racial and ethnic minority men, specifically African American/Black, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and Asian/Pacific Islander men. CINAHL and MEDLINE computer databases were searched from their earliest online date until 2003 using a combination of manual and computer-based methods to identify the nursing literature with samples that included minority men. Articles were selected according to their relevance to the four areas of adult health disparities targeted by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS): heart disease, malignant neoplasms (cancer), diabetes, and HIV/AIDS. A total of 52 empirical articles were selected. Findings were categorized as addressing disease prevention, disease screening, or disease management of the targeted conditions. This review demonstrates that some important work has already been accomplished in nursing research to address the four adult health disparities targeted by DHHS. Future research should be based on gaps identified in existing literature and should be guided by culturally appropriate theories and constructs.