Health Status and Needs of African Immigrant women in the United States: A Systematic Review

African immigrants are one of the fasting growing minority populations in America, making up 4% of the total foreign born population. The number of African immigrant men outnumbers the number of African immigrant women, yet the number of African-born women in the U.S has equally doubled in the past 15 years. As the numbers of African immigrants continue to rise, there is an increasing need to assess their health care needs and practices. African immigrants are considered generally healthier than African-American counterparts when they arrive in the U.S; however, there is a clear and unmet need to determine the risks and prevalence of chronic diseases in that population.  Although the ‘immigrant health advantage' has been well documented, the health outcomes and patterns of health behaviors of African immigrant women have not been largely explored. This review seeks to gather data about what has been published concerning the health of African immigrant women in the U.S, to identify perceived health care barriers and to prioritize the needs of African-born women in the United States. More information must be gathered in the broad categories of health behavior, health attitudes, access to health care and other health disparity issues commonly experienced by immigrants to better promote the health of African immigrant women in the United States.