Factors Associated with Access to Sexual Health Services Among Teens in Toronto: Does Immigration Matter?

Salehi, Roxana; Hynie, Michaela; Flicker, Sarah

doi:10.1007/s10903-013-9961-y

Cited by 26 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 17 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Our study found that Muslim immigrant women like other immigrant groups in Canada face several challenges during their settlement like difficulty findings jobs despite being highly educated and skilled, experiencing decline in social class, having limited social support, language difficulties, and lack/limited knowledge about the Canadian health care system and resources [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][36][37][38]. However, Muslim women wearing the hijab faced additional challenges of tangible discrimination and abuse in employment and public spaces.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

“…Other Ontario studies that have examined rates of cancer screening by region of origin showed that immigrant women from regions with high Muslim populations (i.e., South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa) had lower rates of cervical and breast cancer screening than their immigrant counterparts [10][11][12]. Canadian Muslims experience difficulties accessing sexual health information and cancer screening services due to systemic barriers (e.g., lack of a family physician, inconvenient clinic hours, language difficulties), dominant discourses that discourage open dialogue about sexualities within their communities, religious pedagogy and strict regulations regarding modesty, premarital virginity and sexual behaviour [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Muslim immigrant women’s views on cervical cancer screening and HPV self-sampling in Ontario, Canada

Vahabi¹,

Lofters²

2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Canada has observed significant decreases in incidence and mortality of cervical cancer in recent decades, and this has been attributed to appropriate screening (i.e., the Pap test). However, certain subgroups including Muslim immigrants show higher rates of cervical cancer mortality despite their lower incidence. Low levels of screening have been attributed to such barriers as lack of a family physician, inconvenient clinic hours, having a male physician, and cultural barriers (e.g., modesty, language). HPV self –sampling helps to alleviate many of these barriers. However, little is known about the acceptability of this evidence-based strategy among Muslim women. This study explored Muslim immigrant women’s views on cervical cancer screening and the acceptability of HPV self-sampling. Methods An exploratory community-based mixed methods design was used. A convenience sample of 30 women was recruited over a 3-month period (June–August 2015) in the Greater Toronto Area. All were between 21 and 69 years old, foreign-born, self-identified as Muslim, and had good knowledge of English. Data were collected through focus groups. Results This study provides critical insights about the importance of religious and cultural beliefs in shaping the daily and health care experiences of Muslim women and their cancer screening decisions. Our study showed the deterring impact of beliefs and health practices in home countries on Muslim immigrant women’s utilization of screening services. Limited knowledge about cervical cancer and screening guidelines and need for provision of culturally appropriate sexual health information were emphasized. The results revealed that HPV self-sampling provides a favorable alternative model of care to the traditional provider-administered Pap testing for this population. Conclusion To enhance Muslim immigrant women screening uptake, efforts should made to increase 1) their knowledge of the Canadian health care system and preventive services at the time of entry to Canada, and 2) access to culturally sensitive education programs, female health professionals, and alternative modes of screening like HPV self-sampling. Health professionals need to take an active role in offering screening during health encounters, be educated about sexual health communication with minority women, and be aware of the detrimental impact of preconceived assumptions about sexual activity of Muslim women.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Muslim immigrant women’s views on cervical cancer screening and HPV self-sampling in Ontario, Canada

Vahabi¹,

Lofters²

2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Moreover, they elaborated on how this approach will save them time and money as they did not have to take time off from work or pay for commuting. These are some of the barriers that have been identified in the literature [13, 16, 18–20, 44] and HPV self-sampling has the potential to overcome. Our findings supported earlier studies that explored attitudes of women towards HPV self-sampling [22–27].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Muslim immigrant women’s views on cervical cancer screening and HPV self-sampling in Ontario, Canada

2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundCanada has observed significant decreases in incidence and mortality of cervical cancer in recent decades, and this has been attributed to appropriate screening (i.e., the Pap test). However, certain subgroups including Muslim immigrants show higher rates of cervical cancer mortality despite their lower incidence. Low levels of screening have been attributed to such barriers as lack of a family physician, inconvenient clinic hours, having a male physician, and cultural barriers (e.g., modesty, language). HPV self –sampling helps to alleviate many of these barriers. However, little is known about the acceptability of this evidence-based strategy among Muslim women. This study explored Muslim immigrant women’s views on cervical cancer screening and the acceptability of HPV self-sampling.MethodsAn exploratory community-based mixed methods design was used. A convenience sample of 30 women was recruited over a 3-month period (June–August 2015) in the Greater Toronto Area. All were between 21 and 69 years old, foreign-born, self-identified as Muslim, and had good knowledge of English. Data were collected through focus groups.ResultsThis study provides critical insights about the importance of religious and cultural beliefs in shaping the daily and health care experiences of Muslim women and their cancer screening decisions. Our study showed the deterring impact of beliefs and health practices in home countries on Muslim immigrant women’s utilization of screening services. Limited knowledge about cervical cancer and screening guidelines and need for provision of culturally appropriate sexual health information were emphasized. The results revealed that HPV self-sampling provides a favorable alternative model of care to the traditional provider-administered Pap testing for this population.ConclusionTo enhance Muslim immigrant women screening uptake, efforts should made to increase 1) their knowledge of the Canadian health care system and preventive services at the time of entry to Canada, and 2) access to culturally sensitive education programs, female health professionals, and alternative modes of screening like HPV self-sampling. Health professionals need to take an active role in offering screening during health encounters, be educated about sexual health communication with minority women, and be aware of the detrimental impact of preconceived assumptions about sexual activity of Muslim women.

show abstract

“…In Canada visible minority and immigrant groups still face personal and systemic barriers to accessing and using related health information and resources, despite the provision of ethno-specific services -a significant progress over the previous colour-blind approaches to HIV and AIDS (Catungal 2013). These barriers include language, poor communication, lack of transport, HIV stigma, fear of encountering racism, distrust of health systems, and an uneven geographic distribution of services, which are often located far from the neighbourhoods with concentrated economic disadvantage and high levels of immigration (Kaukinen and Fulcher 2006;Kteily-Hawa 2013;Salehi, Hynie, and Flicker 2014;Vlassoff and Ali 2011;Worthington et al 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Culture, but more than culture: an exploratory study of the HIV vulnerability of Indian immigrants in Canada

Zhou

Majumdar

Vattikonda

2016

Culture, Health & Sexuality

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Explanations of immigrant health that ascribe to culture a fundamental causal role neglect the broader structural and contextual factors with which culture intersects. Based on a qualitative study of Indian immigrants' vulnerability to HIV in Canada, this paper presents a contextualised understanding of these individuals' understanding of, perceptions about, and responses to the HIV risk in their post-immigration lives. The study reveals that although culture - both traditional values and the norms of the diaspora community - appears to have constrained Indian immigrants' capacities to respond to the risk, this effect can be properly understood only by situating such constraint in the context of the settlement process that has shaped participants' living conditions, including their relationship with the diasporic community in Canada. We argue that HIV vulnerability should be conceptualised as a health inequality associated with broader systems of power relations (eg socio-economic marginalisation, gender inequality, discrimination, and racism). This more holistic conceptualisation of the intersection of culture, integration, and HIV vulnerability will facilitate exploration of HIV prevention strategies, through which interconnected inequalities of gender, race, and access to knowledge and resources can be challenged.

show abstract

Factors Associated with Access to Sexual Health Services Among Teens in Toronto: Does Immigration Matter?

Cited by 26 publications

References 17 publications

Muslim immigrant women’s views on cervical cancer screening and HPV self-sampling in Ontario, Canada

Muslim immigrant women’s views on cervical cancer screening and HPV self-sampling in Ontario, Canada

Muslim immigrant women’s views on cervical cancer screening and HPV self-sampling in Ontario, Canada

Culture, but more than culture: an exploratory study of the HIV vulnerability of Indian immigrants in Canada

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About