Foreign-born Mexican women's utilization, adherence and understanding of preventive health screening recommendations

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Christina Hernández (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Debra Wallace

Abstract: The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to explore factors related to foreign-born Mexican women's understanding, utilization and adherence to preventive health screening recommendations using the Interaction Model of Client Health Behavior (IMCHB) as a guiding framework. Specifically, this study examined the following client singularity variables: demographic characteristics (age and marital status); social influences (acculturation, marianismo); environmental resources (education, health insurance status); cognitive appraisal (blood pressure knowledge); affective response (fatalism, cultural cancer screening beliefs); and the client-professional interaction variables affective support (trust in provider) and professional/technical competencies (perceived communication) as they related to the health outcomes utilization and adherence to national recommendations for preventive health screenings. The preventive health screenings were Papanicolaou exam, clinical breast exam (CBE), mammogram, diabetes screening and blood pressure screening. A total of 97 foreign-born Mexican-immigrant women living in central and western North Carolina participated in this study. The majority of the women were married/partnered, had a low level of acculturation, limited education, no health insurance, and income levels at the poverty threshold. Most women had a usual source of care through utilization of community health centers or health departments. The majority of the women met adherence guidelines for the Papanicolaou exam and blood pressure screening. More than three-fourths of the women met adherence guidelines for a CBE and diabetes screening; more than half were adherent to mammography guidelines. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to assess the association between demographic characteristics, social influences, environmental resources, cognitive appraisal, affective response, affective support, professional technical competencies and utilization of nationally recommended preventive health screening exams. Similarly, a multiple linear regression analysis was performed with the same predictor variables and adherence to preventive health screening recommendations. A lower level of educational attainment was related to meeting all of the screening recommendations. Trust was associated with a higher total number of screening exams in the previous five years. Cultural cancer screening beliefs were associated with higher utilization of screening exams over the five year period. Blood pressure knowledge was related to the number of specific types of health screening exams obtained at least once in the previous five years. Women reported receiving insufficient health information concerning the exams. New knowledge was learned about women's perception of their healthcare provider and its relationship to utilization and adherence to preventive health screening recommendations. Findings from this study were used to enlighten implications for practice, education, research, health policy and health systems regarding foreign-born Mexican women.

Additional Information

Publication
Dissertation
Language: English
Date: 2011
Keywords
Breast Cancer, Cervical Cancer, Diabetes, Foreign-born Mexican women, Hypertension, Preventive Health Screening Recommendations
Subjects
Mexicans $x Health and hygiene $z North Carolina $v Case studies
Health education of women $z North Carolina $v Case studies
Medicine, Preventative $z North Carolina $v Case studies

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