Social-cultural, religious, and health system barriers to hepatitis B screening among Hmong: A case study
Author(s):
Fang, Dao Moua
Format:
Thesis
Degree granted:
D.H.A.
Publisher:
Ann Arbor : University of Phoenix, 2016.
Pages:
210
Language:
English
Abstract:
As immigrants from the Southeast Asia country of Laos, the Hmong people are disproportionally impacted by the hepatitis B infection and liver cancer compared to Non-Hispanic White. This study was framed using the Health Belief Model and the Culture Care Theory. The purpose of this study was to examine the Hmong’s perceptions on social-cultural determinants, traditional health beliefs, religious practices, and health care system barriers that influenced community-based hepatitis B screening interventions. This study involved a qualitative method, integrating a collective case study research design. In-depth interviews were used to collect data from 20 Hmong adults from Northern California who participated in the Chen et al. (2013) study. A purposive sampling approach was used to recruit participants who were not serologically tested for hepatitis B. A pattern matching analytic technique was used to analyze the data. There were five themes submerged under the social-cultural factors category: care supporters, clan leaders, cultural barriers, health decision maker, and family and friend advice. There were three themes submerged under the traditional belief category: cultural beliefs on illness, values, and lifeway; traditional beliefs on causes of hepatitis B; and traditional treatments. Barriers to health care services, doctor’s characteristics, and suggestions for the U.S. health care system to improve hepatitis B screening were the themes that emerged under the health care system factors. Low literacy and no formal education were themes emerged under educational factors. Father managing the family budget, Medicaid health insurance, receive care from primary care physician were themes emerged under economic factors.