Cancer beliefs and cancer screening behaviors among low income Chinese immigrants – Implications for culturally relevant interventions

Kenny Kwong

doi:10.5430/jnep.v6n10p130

Abstract

Objective : To effectively plan and provide culturally appropriate cancer education and screening services for low income Chinese immigrants, accurate disaggregated data are very much needed in understanding their cultural beliefs, attitudes, and practices toward cancer screening and education. This study explored the views of medically underserved Chinese immigrants in the United States and assessed their beliefs and attitude toward the cause and prevention of breast, cervical, and prostate cancer, and their cancer screening behaviors. Methods: Guided by both the Explanatory Model Interview Catalogue and the Health Belief Model, an exploratory research methodology was used. Narrative data from in-depth interviews and focus groups were studied qualitatively. The data analytical procedure was based on immersion in the narrative data, writing memos, sorting data into codes and categories, and comparing themes across interviews. Thirty-nine low-income Chinese men and women participated in 14 in-depth interviews and 4 focus groups. Results: Findings provided evidence of strong influence of Chinese culture on beliefs and attitudes toward cancer, as well as perceptions regarding the cause, risk, susceptibility to, and seriousness of cancer. Participants reported both positive and negative perception toward cancer. Common misconceptions about the causes of cancer included: excessive sexual activities, having a certain blood type, cancer being “contagious”, and women ignoring their reproductive or natural functions by using birth control or not breastfeeding. Conclusions: The study highlights the importance of cultural appropriateness and relevancy in the development and implementation of cancer promotion and cancer screening intervention for the Chinese immigrant population.

Highlights

A participant indicated that she cared about her health so much that she Narrative data from individual and focus group interviews would do whatever she could to fight the disease, “I think were studied qualitatively using technical steps based on the being healthy and not being sick is very important because it thematic analysis approach.[33]
Many studies on the topic of cancer among Asian Americans used quantitative research methodologies to explore factors such as socioeconomic status, information barriers, Some participants believed that blood type and poor hygiene insurance status, and level of acculturation that may assowere associated with the development of cancer
Ipant said, “There are four different blood types in human Fewer studies used qualitative methodologies to learn about beings

Summary

INTRODUCTION

To effectively plan and provide culturally appropriate can- nese culture that affects the preventive health and disease cer education and screening services, accurate disaggregated management behaviors of Chinese individuals.[29] Taoism data for the Chinese immigrant population are very much promotes the belief that nature has the ultimate authority needed in understanding their cultural beliefs, attitudes, and over the course of one’s life and existence[30] and that one is practices toward cancer screening and education. The lack of stud- and perceived barriers to and benefits of carrying out a recies and data on cancer education and screening among this ommended preventive health activity Both individual inmedically underserved population is a major constraint for terviews and focus groups are common instruments of data health organizations to effectively plan and provide culturally collection in qualitative research.

METHODS

RESULTS

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION