Health issues among Afghan women in California

Abstract

Afghan refugee women are part of the largest refugee population in the world. In the United States, they deal with loss of family members, property, and status and cultural, familial, religious, role, and generational conflict in making the transition from a traditional patriarchal society to a more egalitarian postindustrial society. Findings from a San Francisco Bay Area Afghan community health assessment conducted from 1992 to 1993 are presented. The assessment included 38 telephone interviews, seven community meetings, and a survey of 196 Afghan families. Six years of ethnographic study with more than 200 Afghans and their health providers provide contextual data. We describe cultural characteristics that influence women's access to health care, women's approach toward preventive care, control of information regarding sexuality, and spouse abuse.

Perspectives on Preventive Health Care and Barriers to Breast Cancer Screening Among Iraqi Women Refugees

“…A 2004 study of 283 Vietnamese, Cuban and Bosnian refugees revealed that 86% never had a mammogram as compared to 33% of American women [2], and a study of 189 Korean immigrant women revealed only 38.6% had had a mammogram within the year [3]. Reduced screening rates are also reported in Cambodian [4], South Asian [5], Arabic [6], Filipino [7], and Afghan communities [8]. The 2000 National Health Interview Survey revealed that women in the US for 10 years or less were less likely to have had a mammogram within the last 2 years than non-immigrants [9], and other studies reveal that more time in the US is associated with a greater number of mammograms [10].…”

Attitudes Toward Cervical Cancer Screening Among Muslim Women: A Pilot Study

“…2003). One explanation for hesitation to participate in cervical cancer screening is the expectation for young Muslim women to remain as virgins before marriage, which causes parents to worry that doctors would "spoil [their daughters'] virginity by examining them internally (Lipson, Hosseini et al 1995)." While the general recommendation for cervical cancer screening that is followed by many US health care providers is to begin screening within three years after the onset of sexual activity but no later than age 21 (Saslow, Runowicz et al 2002), the appropriateness of this recommendation for Muslim young women is not clear because of the Islamic value attached to virginity, which may mean that sexual activity begins at a later age than in the larger American population, and is less likely before marriage.…”

Cervical Cancer Screening Outcomes in a Refugee Population

“…Target g , g [8,9] Prior to resettling in the U.S., only a small minority of refugee women have received cervical cancer screening, as most of these women are refugees from countries where cytologic screening and HPV testing are often limited or absent. [2,5,10] While there is some data on cancer incidence and mortality in certain female immigrant populations in the U.S. and Canada, little is known about cervical cancer incidence, cervical dysplasia, or HPV prevalence in refugee populations in the U.S. [7,[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] The distinction between the immigrant and refugee populations is an important one, as the circumstances that motivate or necessitate these two populations to come to the U S are very different {5, 8,10] The purpose of our study …”