ABSTRACT:
In the contemporary global landscape, migration and multicultural diversity have reshaped the dynamics of health communication—particularly in multicultural and multiethnic contexts. Despite this diversity, dominant health communication models often remain top-down, privileging expert-driven and standardized narratives that overlook the cultural capital embedded in local traditions, languages, and identities. This paper proposes a bottom-up cross-cultural communication model as a transformative framework for promoting public health and preventing non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Grounded in Kim’s Cultural Communication Theory and Mannheim’s sociological concept of shared meaning, the model repositions cultural diversity as a form of collective capital rather than a challenge to be managed. It emphasizes the potential of locally grounded dialogues, participatory storytelling, and intergenerational knowledge exchange to generate trust, behavioral change, and community empowerment. The study emphasizes inclusion and equitable engagement of minority and marginalized groups, highlighting how culturally sensitive approaches strengthen participation and health outcomes. Through reflective case analyses and participatory observations in multicultural health education settings, the study demonstrates how embracing differences—rather than suppressing them—cultivates equity, resilience, and shared responsibility in health systems. Ultimately, the paper argues that bottom-up, cross-cultural communication offers a culturally sensitive and contextually grounded pathway to reimagine public health equity in diverse societies, aligning global health objectives with local cultural realities.