Lailah Alidu1, Elizabeth A Grunfeld2. 1. Population Evidence and Technology, University of Warwick Medical School, Coventry, UK. 2. Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Health care utilization rates are lower among men; however, little is known about how men's health care utilization is affected by migration. The aim of this study was to explore health-related help-seeking decisions among older Ghanaian men residing in the United Kingdom and in Ghana. METHODS: Twenty-six men aged 50 years or over were recruited from community locations within two large cities in the UK and Ghana. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were undertaken to explore the illness and help-seeking experiences of older men. RESULTS: Help-seeking experiences differed among the Ghanaian men living in the UK and in Ghana. Three themes were identified that impacted on help-seeking decisions: (1) pluralistic approaches to managing health and illness and (2) perceptions of formal health services in Ghana and UK and (3) financial constraints and masculinity norms as barriers to help-seeking. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to look at help-seeking decisions among older men residing in the UK and Ghana. Findings highlight how older migrant men's explanatory models of their health encompass enduring faith-based beliefs around causation of illness and approaches to management, as well as the use of pluralistic approaches to managing health. This study supports the call for culturally sensitive community-based interventions to increase engagement and facilitate improved health outcomes for migrant populations, particularly older men.
BACKGROUND: Health care utilization rates are lower among men; however, little is known about how men's health care utilization is affected by migration. The aim of this study was to explore health-related help-seeking decisions among older Ghanaian men residing in the United Kingdom and in Ghana. METHODS: Twenty-six men aged 50 years or over were recruited from community locations within two large cities in the UK and Ghana. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were undertaken to explore the illness and help-seeking experiences of older men. RESULTS: Help-seeking experiences differed among the Ghanaian men living in the UK and in Ghana. Three themes were identified that impacted on help-seeking decisions: (1) pluralistic approaches to managing health and illness and (2) perceptions of formal health services in Ghana and UK and (3) financial constraints and masculinity norms as barriers to help-seeking. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to look at help-seeking decisions among older men residing in the UK and Ghana. Findings highlight how older migrant men's explanatory models of their health encompass enduring faith-based beliefs around causation of illness and approaches to management, as well as the use of pluralistic approaches to managing health. This study supports the call for culturally sensitive community-based interventions to increase engagement and facilitate improved health outcomes for migrant populations, particularly older men.
Authors: Yoh Murayama; Sachiko Yamazaki; Masami Hasebe; Tomoya Takahashi; Jun Yamaguchi; Erika Kobayashi Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-08-25 Impact factor: 4.614