Health Information Seeking Among Immigrant Families in Western Canada

Mason, Alleson; Salami, Bukola; Salma, Jordana; Yohani, Sophie; Amin, Maryam; Okeke‐Ihejirika, Philomina; Ladha, Tehseen

doi:10.1016/j.pedn.2020.11.009

Cited by 14 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…More than half of the respondents (60.47%) in this study had never sought health information from sources such as leaflets, pamphlets and books at health centres. In Canada, digitised public health information and written materials are two of the most popular ways to provide health information to the public but accessing them will be difficult for those who have limited access to computers and the Internet and/or who are less proficient using digital sources (Mason et al, 2021). There is a need for better understanding of the most acceptable sources of health information for immigrants (perhaps in audio-visual and interactive forms), and action is needed to present health information in the forms most likely to enhance uptake (Khalid et al, 2022a).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health literacy among members of the Nepalese immigrant population in Canada

Thapa-Bajgain

Bajgain

Dahal

et al. 2023

Health Education Journal

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Background: Health literacy is an important public health concern and can be defined as ‘the degree or extent to which the individuals have the capacity to obtain, process and understand basic health information and services to make appropriate health decisions’. Research on health literacy among recent immigrants to Canada is not that extensive. Objective: The purpose of this paper was to describe health literacy status among Nepalese immigrants residing in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Methods: In 2019, a cross-sectional study, using a self-administered questionnaire, was conducted among Nepalese immigrants in Calgary. The questionnaire comprised 38 questions including sociodemographic information, self-rated health status, having a chronic disease or not, health literacy, sources of health information and preference to gain health information. Results: We received 401 responses: 49.63% were from women, 51.37% were aged 36–55 years, 37.00% had graduate-level education, 44.96% had immigrated to Canada less than 5 years ago and 81.05% were employed full-time/part-time or self-employed. Findings revealed that 17.21% of survey participants had limited health literacy, followed by 40.15% who had marginal health literacy. The majority of the survey participants (71.82%) either always or often got health information from healthcare professionals, followed by online resources (56.61%). Conclusion: Noteworthy levels of limited health literacy and marginal health literacy were observed among the Nepalese immigrant population. Multidirectional, culturally tailored, community-led, collaborative initiatives are needed to improve health literacy among the immigrant population, to lessen health disparities and to promote better health outcomes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health literacy among members of the Nepalese immigrant population in Canada

Thapa-Bajgain

Bajgain

Dahal

et al. 2023

Health Education Journal

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“… 32 Official information sources were more used by German speakers, mostly those with middle–high education, while only few, high‐educated Arabic speakers named (inter‐)national institutions, almost without referring to other institutional information channels responsible for crisis communication. 36 This is probably due to limited language proficiency and lack of knowledge of the German health systems' communication channels, according to Finell et al 37 As Arab parents often relied on accessible and familiar information sources, there could be a focus on engaging more informal information mediators for these groups, as suggested by Mason et al 38 …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parental COVID‐19–related health information practises, sources, evaluations and needs: A qualitative interview study

Altawil

Klawunn

Dierks

et al. 2022

Health Expectations

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Background Parents of infants and young children may have specific health information needs and preferences, as they are responsible for their children's health. COVID‐19 posed many challenges for families, not least in terms of the constantly updated disease‐prevention guidelines. However, little is known about parents' experiences with this unprecedented situation, that is, how and where they seek, use and evaluate COVID‐19 (child)‐specific health information. We aimed to find out more about this to provide insights to health (information) providers when communicating pandemic information to parents. Methods We conducted semistructured telephone interviews (August to October 2020) with a purposively selected sample of 20 German‐speaking and 10 Arabic‐speaking parents of children up to 4 years old. Recruitment occurred through multiple channels, including childcare institutions and social media. Qualitative content analysis of the interview transcripts illustrates the main differences between the two groups. Results By the time the interviews were conducted (mid‐2020), some parents reported to seek information less actively or not at all, compared to the beginning of COVID‐19. German speakers frequently used Google to obtain information, whereas Arabic speakers mentioned social media (particularly Facebook) as a central source. However, medical providers were the most trusted source for child health. Though determining the credibility of online information was difficult for some parents, others, mostly German speakers (middle–high education), were aware of some author‐related criteria. When deciding on information use, parents often rely on their own judgement and gut instinct. Besides the necessity to disseminate information via multiple outlets to reach all parents, Arabic speakers desired audio‐visual and translation tools to facilitate understanding. Discussion and Public Conclusion Apart from education, language and knowledge of the health system and of the attributes of credible information may determine its quality and consequent decisions. There seems to be a considerable need to foster knowledge about reliable information sources, a greater understanding of the range of quality criteria and specific support for nonnative speakers, not least to better inform parents' decision‐making. Patient and Public Contribution A parent panel ( n = 7) contributed to gathering ideas regarding recruitment, discussing initial results and the choice of topics and questions for a second interview phase.

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“…Immigrant and resettled women rearing children in a new environment not only experience stress from the process of childcare but also face challenges in building new lives [ 38 ]. Immigrants in a strange environment lack essential information resources; obtaining reliable health information and accessing health services becomes a significant social issue [ 39 ]. Therefore, information barriers should be addressed practically to help them adapt to general life and child rearing in Japan.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Promotion of Parenting and Mental Health Needs among Chinese Women Living in Japan: A Qualitative Study

Luo

Sato

Zhai

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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Chinese women raising children in Japan tend to experience high parenting stress and poor mental well-being. However, their specific parenting and mental health promotion needs remain unknown. This study aimed to explore the parenting and mental health promotion needs of Chinese women living in Japan and provide recommendations to guide interventions. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted. Participants included 15 women aged 28–39 years who were pregnant or rearing a child younger than six years old. Thematic analysis was performed for data analysis. More than half of the participants experienced mental health problems, such as depressive symptoms and child-rearing stress. Four themes relating to their needs were identified: concrete support, information provision, caring and understanding, and social network building. Information provision and social network building should be emphasized as practical social support mechanisms to improve these women’s mental health. Furthermore, a mental health promotion intervention should be developed to address this vulnerable population’s needs. Healthcare providers and public health workers should help improve the social support systems of Chinese women in Japan to prevent mental health problems. Potential transcultural education can, arguably, help healthcare providers better understand transcultural care.

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Health Information Seeking Among Immigrant Families in Western Canada

Cited by 14 publications

References 16 publications

Health literacy among members of the Nepalese immigrant population in Canada

Health literacy among members of the Nepalese immigrant population in Canada

Parental COVID‐19–related health information practises, sources, evaluations and needs: A qualitative interview study

Promotion of Parenting and Mental Health Needs among Chinese Women Living in Japan: A Qualitative Study

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