“When you walk in the rain, you get wet”: A Qualitative Study of Ghanaian Immigrants’ Perspective on the Epidemiological Paradox

Abstract

This study sought to understand the perceptions of Ghanaian immigrants of the health status and health trajectory of their community. We conducted focus groups and interviews with 63 primarily Ghanaian immigrants living in New York City. Nearly all participants observed that Ghanaians are generally healthy when they arrive in the US, but that their health declines over time. Participants identified four causes of this perceived deterioration: changes in health behaviors, increased stress, environmental exposures, and barriers to health care. Participants see themselves as being at risk for many health problems resulting from changes in lifestyle that follow immigration. Although some vulnerabilities are unique to their experience as immigrants, many of the risk factors they described are the same as those that affect other residents in the communities in which they live.

Understanding the healthcare experiences and needs of African immigrants in the United States: a scoping review

“…Cultural perspectives of diseases and illness determine healthcare behaviors, which in turn shape healthcare experiences. Eight articles discussed the impact of culture on the healthcare experiences of African immigrants in the U.S. [11,61,68,69,[71][72][73][74]. In African immigrant communities, for example, diseases such as HIV and cancer are viewed as the result of spiritual issues?…”

“…Therefore, it is not uncommon for many African immigrants to consult oracles and traditional healers in their home countries, regarding those types of health problems [72,73]. The study by Kaplan et al, showed it was common for participants to delay office visits until the diseases or illnesses were certifiably irreversible or severe enough to halt daily activities [68]. Results from another study showed HIV-positive African immigrant women sought treatment when the condition was already in its late stage [74].…”

“…Whereas a big body size was considered unhealthy in the U.S., it was regarded as a sign of healthy eating in their cultures [11]. In addition, they described the fast-food culture in the U.S. not only as inescapable but problematic, due to its incongruence with their own cultural views of food preparation and consumption [61,68].…”

“…The significance of culturally-situated stigma in the healthcare experiences of African immigrants in the U.S., was identified in eight studies [62,63,[66][67][68][69][70][71]. Blanas et al, found that one of the reasons why the African immigrant participants in their study did not make use of certain healthcare services in the U.S., was the resultant negative reactions individuals within their communities.…”

“…In addition, some participants suspected certain healthcare facilities were more interested in testing them unnecessarily during office visits. They feared it was only a matter of time before their private data were compromised and their livelihoods jeopardized, especially in cases of positive results for stigmatized diseases [68].…”