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333965
Influence of Culture on the Utilization of Healthcare Services By Refugees in Bowling Green, Kentucky


Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Chika Ejike, M.B.B.S, M.P.H, Department of Education, Administration, Leadership and Research, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY
The world as a global village has become a ubiquitous trope in the popular discourse, and Bowling Green, Kentucky, with its substantial refugee population, may be said to be an exemplar of this idealized community. The ongoing immigration debate within the United States has been motivated as much by concern about its deleterious effects on America’s society, political system, and economy as by concern for the health and wellbeing of the immigrant and refugee populations themselves. Such does not mean that attention to this group and their welfare is unwarranted. Due to the diverse cultural identities of the refugee population in Bowling Green, it is particularly well-suited to research into complex culturally dependent healthcare utilization patterns.

The central research question for the study undertaken by this author was as follows: What are the healthcare-seeking behavioral patterns (as influenced by culture) among refugees at their nearest healthcare facilities? This was addressed by way of several sub-questions.

A mixed method study was conducted to answer the aforementioned question, with both quantitative and qualitative research components incorporated into the data collection process. This research method allowed the researcher to integrate and mirror the evidence gathered from one data collection process with the other, in order to develop a more robust and in-depth understanding of the research topic.

While the research is ongoing, the author anticipates that the results of this study will contribute to the popular health and policy-making debates that surround the diverse population of Bowling Green, Kentucky and their collective wellbeing.

Learning Areas:

Diversity and culture

Learning Objectives:
Demonstrate what (if any) relationship exists within refugees’ cultures and in the the manner and frequency with which they utilize the services of their local health departments, and to use these findings to better evaluate the cultural competency of public healthcare service providers in the United States

Keyword(s): Cultural Competency, Immigrant Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: This is my on-going doctoral dissertation research topic
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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