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Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Published in: Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health 5/2019

01-10-2019 | Original Paper

Factors Associated with Access to Maternal and Reproductive Health Care among Somali Refugee Women Resettled in Ohio, United States: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Authors: Aduragbemi Banke-Thomas, Kafuli Agbemenu, Crista Johnson-Agbakwu

Published in: Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health | Issue 5/2019

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Abstract

This study examined maternal and reproductive health (MRH) access of Somali refugees in the U.S. across four access dimensions (willingness to seek care, gaining entry to the health system, seeing a primary provider and seeing a specialist). We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 427 Somali refugee reproductive-age women in Franklin County, Ohio. Following descriptive statistics of demographics, we conducted multivariate analyses to test associations between demographics and the four access dimensions. Most Somali refugee women were married (68%), attained primary education (92%), employed (64%) and were circumcised (82%). Young (OR 2.61, 95% CI 1.25–5.60), single (OR 1.78, 95% CI 1.15–2.78), and minors upon arrival (OR 2.36, 95% CI 1.44–3.90) were more willing to seek care. Lack of insurance, limited language fluency and being circumcised limited access to care across all dimensions. Barriers to access need to be systematically addressed. Deconstructing beliefs regarding health systems may improve access, especially among older Somali women.
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Metadata
Title
Factors Associated with Access to Maternal and Reproductive Health Care among Somali Refugee Women Resettled in Ohio, United States: A Cross-Sectional Survey
Authors
Aduragbemi Banke-Thomas
Kafuli Agbemenu
Crista Johnson-Agbakwu
Publication date
01-10-2019
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health / Issue 5/2019
Print ISSN: 1557-1912
Electronic ISSN: 1557-1920
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-018-0824-4

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