This issue of Family & Community Health focuses on innovations. By definition, an innovation is the act of introducing something new; it is about things that are novel. And the diffusion of innovations can lead to changes in people, families, organizations, and communities. Innovation is not about repetition. Because it is about that which is new, being an innovator typically requires courage, diligence, a flexible attitude and approach, and creativity. There is no one ideal approach to being an innovator or one best recipe or formula for innovation.
I think it is important to note that in this issue of the 8 articles that discuss a range of health innovations ranging from a review of the current literature to the description of the effectiveness of a variety of programs, 4 focus on obesity. Two of the 4 focus on childhood obesity and the remaining 2 focus on obesity and diet and weight concerns in adults. The remaining 4 articles talk about other important topics including the need for cultural competence, breast cancer control, and also risk factors for breast and ovarian control in African American women and parenting stress and quality of life of the caregiver of a low-birth-weight preschool child.
At the present time, I am spending a year as a visiting professor at the University of Hong Kong. In working with my students in public health nursing I have become keenly aware that the health problems in Hong Kong are very much the same as in most localities in the United States. For example, Hong Kong has a large number of immigrants arriving from mainland China. These immigrants speak a different form of the Chinese language, often are not well educated, need to work long hours to support their families, and are having a difficult time assimilating into the culture. Other problems that students have chosen to investigate are childhood obesity, drug abuse, and domestic violence. While these latter problems are not restricted to the immigrant population, the incidence appears higher than that in the overall population.
The articles in this issue call attention to the importance of understanding the culture including the culture of those organizations that will be involved when introducing an innovation. I have much greater understanding of the need for perceptive recognition of cultural differences now than I did before coming to Hong Kong. While in both the United States and Hong Kong, children have access to more foods that are unhealthy than they need, the strategies and approaches that will likely be effective in influencing changes are highly specific to the culture.
Jeanette Lancaster