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The Mosque Campaign: a cardiovascular prevention program for female Turkish immigrants

Die Moscheen-Kampagne: Ein Herz-Kreislauf-Präventionsprogramm für türkischstämmige Migrantinnen

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Zusammenfassung

HINTERGRUND: Das Frauengesundheitsbüro des Landes Tirol, Österreich, führt regelmäßig Informations- und Präventionskampagnen speziell für Frauen zum Thema Herz-Kreislauf-Erkrankungen durch. Türkischstämmige Frauen nahmen bislang jedoch nicht an den zahlreichen Veranstaltungen teil. Das Ziel der Moscheen-Kampagne war es, ein türkischsprachiges kultursensibles Herz-Kreislauf-Präventionsprogramm speziell für Türkinnen durchzuführen, um eine Verbesserung des Wissens um Risikofaktoren zu erzielen und bestehende kulturelle und sprachliche Barrieren abzubauen. METHODIK: Das Pilotprojekt wurde während der Schuljahre 1999/00, 2000/01 sowie 2001/02 in allen 28 Moscheen in Tirol durchgeführt. Nach einem türkischsprachigen Vortrag und der Möglichkeit eines ärztlichen Beratungsgesprächs beantworteten insgesamt 2446 Frauen einen Fragebogen zur persönlichen Einschätzung eigener Herz-Kreislauf-Risikofaktoren. Zusätzlich wurden 1992 Blutdruckmessungen durchgeführt. ERGEBNIS: Die überwiegende Mehrzahl zählte zur ersten Generation weiblicher Migrantinnen und gab an, keine deutschsprachigen Medien zu nutzen. Ein Drittel empfand sich selbst als übergewichtig. Mehr als 13 % zeigten entweder einen erhöhten systolischen und/oder diastolischen Blutdruck. Von 1999/00 bis 2001/02 nahm die Unwissenheit der befragten Türkinnen um Herz-Kreislauf-Erkrankungen signifikant ab: Gesamtcholesterin von 57,4 % auf 32,4 % (p < 0,001), Blutdruck von 41,3 % auf 29,6 % (p < 0,001) und Blutzucker von 49,7 % auf 25,2 % (p < 0,001). SCHLUSSFOLGERUNGEN: Obwohl in Österreich ein freier Zugang zum Gesundheitssystem gewährleistet wird, war eine große Zahl der befragten türkischstämmigen Migrantinnen nicht über Risikofaktoren von Herz-Kreislauf-Erkrankungen informiert. Die Moscheen-Kampagne bewährte sich als eine effektive Methode, um Aufklärungsarbeit zu leisten und türkischstämmige Frauen zu erreichen. Sprachlich angepasste und kultursensible Programme sind notwendig um die Situation ethnischer Minderheiten zu verbessern und die notwendige Gleichstellung zu sichern.

Summary

BACKGROUND: The Women's Health Office of the State of Tyrol, Austria, provides cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention programs for women. However, local Turkish women have not participated in our programs. The aim of the so-called Mosque Campaign was to conduct a Turkish-language, culture-sensitive CVD prevention program tailored to the needs of Turkish women to improve their knowledge of CVD risk factors and to minimize ethnic differences in participation rates for preventive programs. METHODS: The pilot program was conducted in all 28 mosques in Tyrol during the years 1999/00, 2000/01 and 2001/02. A Turkish educational lecture and the opportunity for a private medical consultation were provided, and 2,446 Turkish women completed a questionnaire on their personal knowledge of CVD. In addition a total of 1,992 blood pressure readings were taken. RESULTS: Most of the women belonged to the first generation of female immigrants and reported not using German-language media. About one-third of the women considered themselves to be obese. More than 13 % had raised systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure. We observed a significant decrease in unawareness of the main CVD risk factors from 1999/00 to 2001/02: unawareness of cholesterol level decreased from 57.4 % to 32.4 % (p < 0.001), of blood pressure from 41.3 % to 29.6 % (p < 0.001) and of blood glucose from 49.7 % to 25.2 % (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Even though Austria provides free access to healthcare services, a large number of Turkish women were not aware of their CVD risk factors. The Mosque Campaign reached female Turkish migrants and was effective in reducing their level of unawareness about CVD. Language-adapted and culture-sensitive programs are necessary to ensure greater equality for ethnic minority groups.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Gender Studies, Innsbruck, Austria

    Angelika Bader, Doris Musshauser, Filiz Sahin & Hayriye Bezirkan

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria

    Margarethe Hochleitner

Authors
  1. Angelika Bader
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  2. Doris Musshauser
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  3. Filiz Sahin
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  4. Hayriye Bezirkan
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  5. Margarethe Hochleitner
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Correspondence to Angelika Bader.

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Bader, A., Musshauser, D., Sahin, F. et al. The Mosque Campaign: a cardiovascular prevention program for female Turkish immigrants. Wien Klin Wochenschr 118, 217–223 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00508-006-0587-0

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