Preventive health care practices of former Soviet Union immigrant women in Germany and the US

Few studies have examined health care practices of former Soviet Union (FSU) immigrant women in Germany and the US. A descriptive cross-sectional exploratory study was used to examine the preventive health care practices of mammography, Pap smears, and breast self exam among immigrant women from the FSU in Germany and the US. Data was collected using a demographic survey and the Language, Identity and Behavior Acculturation Measure. A sample of 15 German immigrant women was matched by age with 24 US immigrant women. The findings (Mann-Whitney test) indicated that German women were significantly older than US women (U = 94.50, p < .05); US women were significantly more likely to have a timely mammogram (U = 26.50, p < .05) and a Pap smear (U = 100.50, p < .05), and more likely to perceive their health status as good or excellent (U = 80.00, p < .05). Thirty nine percent of US women said they conducted BSE at least monthly while 9% of German women said they did (X2 = 3.24, df = 1, p > .05). The main illnesses identified by German women were diabetes (20%; X2 = 2.51, df =1, p >.05), heart disease (13%; X2 = 1.09, df =1, p >.05), and hypertension (60%; X2 = 15.01, df = 1, p < .01). There was no significant difference in scores on the acculturation subscales. 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. Preventive health behaviors are learned behaviors that can be changed with interventions that minimize barriers and assist immigrants to understand the value of prevention and health promotion activities. Future studies with this population should focus on their beliefs related to health promotion and disease prevention, to better understand how to intervene and improve their health.