Preventive Health Care Practices of Former Soviet Union Immigrant Women in Germany and the United States

Abstract

Objectives: To examine the use of preventive health care practices of mammography, Pap smear, and breast self-exam in immigrant women from the former Soviet Union in Germany and the United States. Design: A descriptive cross-sectional exploratory study was used to examine the preventive health care practices of immigrant women in Germany and the United States. Sample: A convenience sample of 15 German immigrant women from the former Soviet Union were solicited from the Salztal Klinik in Germany and matched by age with 24 U.S. immigrant women from the former Soviet Union solicited from a community center for immigrants. Measurements: Data were collected using a demographic survey and the Language, Identity, and Behavior Acculturation Measure. Results: Significant differences were found between the German and U.S. immigrant groups in use of mammography (χ 2 = 8.069, df = 1, p < .005) and Pap smear (χ 2 = 7.245, df = 1, p < .008). Conclusion: The low use of mammography and Pap smear among German immigrant women may be related to differences in health care systems, age, and health beliefs. Further study is needed to determine the affects of age and health beliefs related to health promotion and disease prevention to better understand how to intervene and improve the health of immigrant women from the former Soviet Union.

Breast cancer screening utilization among Eastern European immigrant women worldwide: a systematic literature review and a focus on psychosocial barriers

“…The studies came from 10 different countries (Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, the UK, and the USA) and were published between 1996 and 2013. Only one study pertained to EE immigrants in two different host countries , and half of the research was US based. Two of the studies were published in languages other than English .…”

“…Regarding intra‐EE differences in screening, pooled data from Denmark indicated that a mammography invitation was accepted by 45% of Yugoslavian women and by 64% of Polish women, versus 71% of Danish‐born women . One study compared FSU immigrants in two host countries and reported that despite free healthcare access, mammography utilization was significantly lower in Germany than in the USA (10% vs 69%) .…”

International Perspective on Health Literacy and Health Equity: Factors That Influence the Former Soviet Union Immigrants

“…Healthcare utilization, as well as health promotion and disease prevention activities among FSU immigrants, are also challenging. Cultural beliefs, health beliefs, prior experiences, and language proficiency of the host country contribute to the lower likelihood that FSU immigrant women and older people (less literature is available about male FSU immigrants) choose to participate in preventative activities such as diagnostic screenings [73][74][75][76]. In the USA, FSU immigrants are less likely to immunize their children [77].…”