“They Wait until the Disease Has Taking over You and the Doctors Cannot Do Anything about It”: Qualitative Insights from Harambee! 2.0

Shukri A. Hassan, Farah Mohamed, Najma Sheikh, Guiomar Basualdo, Nahom A. Daniel, Rahel Schwartz, Beyene Tewelde Gebreselassie, Yikealo K. Beyene, Luwam Gabreselassie, Kifleyesus Bayru, Bethel Tadesse, Hirut Amsalu Libneh, Mohamed Shidane, Sophia Benalfew, Ahmed Ali, Deepa Rao, Rena C. Patel and Roxanne P. Kerani
Additional contact information
Shukri A. Hassan: Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
Farah Mohamed: Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
Najma Sheikh: Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Guiomar Basualdo: Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Nahom A. Daniel: Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Rahel Schwartz: Ethiopian Community Center in Seattle, Seattle, WA 98118, USA
Beyene Tewelde Gebreselassie: Eritrean Health Board, Seattle, WA 98122, USA
Yikealo K. Beyene: Eritrean Health Board, Seattle, WA 98122, USA
Luwam Gabreselassie: Eritrean Health Board, Seattle, WA 98122, USA
Kifleyesus Bayru: Eritrean Health Board, Seattle, WA 98122, USA
Bethel Tadesse: Ethiopian Community Center in Seattle, Seattle, WA 98118, USA
Hirut Amsalu Libneh: Ethiopian Community Center in Seattle, Seattle, WA 98118, USA
Mohamed Shidane: Somali Health Board, Tukwila, WA 98188, USA
Sophia Benalfew: Ethiopian Community Center in Seattle, Seattle, WA 98118, USA
Ahmed Ali: Somali Health Board, Tukwila, WA 98188, USA
Deepa Rao: Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Rena C. Patel: Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
Roxanne P. Kerani: Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98104, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 23, 1-20

Abstract: African immigrants make up a large subgroup of Black/African-Americans in the US. However, because African immigrant groups are typically categorized as “Black,” little is known about their preventative healthcare needs. Differences in culture, life and healthcare experiences between African immigrant populations and US-born people may influence preventive health care uptake. Thus, policymakers and healthcare providers lack information needed to make informed decisions around preventive care for African immigrants. This formative study was conducted among the largest East African immigrant communities in King County, WA. We recruited religious leaders, community leaders, health professionals, and lay community members to participate in thirty key informant interviews and five focus group discussions ( n = 72 total), to better understand preventative healthcare attitudes in these communities. Through inductive coding and thematic analysis, we identified factors that impact preventative healthcare attitudes of the Somali, Ethiopian and Eritrean immigrant communities and deter them from accessing and utilizing healthcare. Cultural beliefs and attitudes around preventative healthcare, mistrust of westernized healthcare, religious beliefs/views, intersecting identities and shared immigrant experiences all influence how participants view preventative healthcare. Our results suggest that interventions that address these factors are needed to most effectively increase uptake of preventative healthcare in African immigrant communities.

Keywords: African immigrant; preventive healthcare; healthcare access; immigrant; screening; prevention; migrant; culture; religion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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