Diana DuBois, MPH/MIA¹, Laura Olevitch, MPH², Ellen Benavides, MPH³, Mahmooda Khaliq, MS¹, and Nathaly Herrel, MSc⁴. (1) Minnesota International Health Volunteers (MIHV), 122 West Franklin Avenue, Suite #210, Minneapolis, MN 55404-2480, 612 871 3759, ddubois@mihv.org, (2) Park Nicollet Institute, 3800 Park Nicollet Blvd., St. Louis Park, MN 55416, (3) Consultant, 122 West Franklin Avenue, Suite 210, Minneapolis, MN 55404, (4) Somali Health Care Initiative, Minnesota International Health Volunteers (MIHV), 122 West Franklin Avenue, Suite #210, Minneapolis, MN 55404-2480

Somali refugees began arriving in Minnesota in the early 1990s to escape the civil war and the collapse of the government in Somalia. The Somali community of the Twin Cities metropolitan area has grown substantially and today, Minnesota is home to more than half of all the Somalis living in the United States. Since the majority of the Somali community arrived in Minnesota recently, there continues to be a great need to bridge the gap that exists between the Somali community and health providers by providing culturally appropriate health education materials. This is especially true with women’s’ health issues. It was clear that many Somalis women were especially fearful of childbirth practices, in particular, the high rate of caesarean sections. Minnesota International Health Volunteers (MIHV), a non-profit organization, partnered, with Park Nicollet Institute, a private health education institute, to create, evaluate, and disseminate a childbirth education video in the Somali language. This video was created to: demystify the childbirth education experience for Somali patients and to ensure that women received complete information on caesarean births in a culturally appropriate manner. The video will be distributed free to immigrant and refugee communities throughout the US and Canada. MIHV and Park Nicollet Institute, joining in a public/private partnership, would like to share the innovative approach they used to create, evaluate, and disseminate a culturally sensitive health education video, including focus group research, key informant interviews, convening a cultural panel of Somali experts, a clinical panel, and closely working with the Somali community.

Learning Objectives: By the end of the session, participants will be able to

• List 5 key steps involved in developing a culturally sensitive health education video with refugees and immigrants; and
• Articulate the procedure for evaluating and disseminating a health education video targeted to refugee and immigrant communities.

Keywords: Health Education, Refugees

Related Web page: www.mihv.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Minnesota International Health Volunteers (MIHV)and Park Nicollet Institute created a health education video entitled, "Health Moms, Healthy Babies: A Somali Language Childbirth Preparation Video."
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.