Medical Students’ Opinions Regarding Possible Influence of Culture and Social Issues on Health Seeking Behaviour

Abstract

Introduction: Cultural, social and ethnic issues have a major impact on healthcare and care-seekingbehaviour. Xavier University School of Medicine admits students from a diversity of backgrounds. Acultural beliefs project where interested students were invited to present about their ‘country of origin’was initiated. Participant perceptions about the project, and information regarding their preparationfor the same and their perceptions about migration and cultural diversity was explored using focusgroup discussions (FGD). Materials and Methods: The opinions of interested students regardingpossible influence of cultural and social issues on healthcare and healthcare seeking behaviour wasstudied. Twelve students eventually presented. These students were provided guidance to initiatetheir project. Participants presented briefly about their country of origin. Following the presentationthe students were invited to participate in FGD. The FGDs were held in a neutral venue and wereaudio-recorded. The recordings were listened to by the authors multiple times and written transcriptscreated. Statements were grouped together using the various categories mentioned in the FGDguide. Results: A total of 11 individuals participated in the FGDs. Among the countries presentedwere: Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), Sri Lanka, Greece, Nigeria, Ethiopia, China,Venezuela, Iran, Jordan and Lebanon. Detailed information was obtained about the respondent’sperception on migrating to the adopted country, about participating in the cultural beliefs project,how they prepared their write-ups and presentations, influence of cultural issues on health andhealthcare seeking behaviour. Their perceptions regarding practicing in a multicultural society,preparing for these challenges and whether the western political and cultural system adequately meetsthe needs of immigrants was also discussed. Conclusion: The presentations and interactions whichoccurred during the cultural beliefs project provided participants and members of the audience withinformation about the beliefs of the presented cultures with regard to health and healthcare seekingbehaviour. A similar project could be considered with other interested students in the institution. Asimilar project may be useful in other schools with a diverse student population.