Abstract
Refugee women have poor outcomes and low utilization of sexual and reproductive health services, which may partly arise from a lack of culturally relevant sexual and reproductive healthcare. Little research has explored strategies to provide culturally relevant sexual and reproductive healthcare to this population. Our study seeks to fill this literature gap. We conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 17 providers (e.g. physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses) serving refugee women in Metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. Two coders analysed the data using a qualitative thematic approach. According to providers, perceived cultural barriers to receiving sexual and reproductive healthcare included hesitancy to voice concerns or needs, delayed care seeking, a low emphasis on preventive care, and decision-making that is influenced by gender norms. Many providers reported a lack of or inadequate formal training in providing sexual and reproductive healthcare for refugee women. Regarding strategies to deliver culturally relevant care, providers emphasized: applying principles of patient-centered care, tailoring care to patients' characteristics and cultural backgrounds, recognizing implicit bias and structural racism, accommodating autonomous, informed decision-making while building trust, and partnering with community members. In conclusion, our study identified multiple important strategies that can facilitate the provision of culturally relevant sexual and reproductive healthcare for this population.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | cyaf032 |
| Journal | Health Education Research |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 1 2025 |
Funding
This work was supported by the Mini Grant Program from the Center for Reproductive Health Research in the Southeast (RISE) at Emory University; the Jones Program in Ethics Mini-Grant at Emory University; the Research Development Grant from the Organization for Research on Women and Communication; and the Healthcare Innovation Program Student-Initiated Project Grant at the Georgia Clinical & Translational Science Alliance (CTSA). The Georgia CTSA is supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health [UL1TR002378]. Dr. Vu was supported by the US National Cancer Institute [F31CA243220 and T32CA193193] and National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences [KL2TR001424]. We acknowledge the research assistance that Tara Chen, Jane Gou, Ericka Le, Xinrui Li, Justine Liu, Katherine Szydlo, Erin Yong, and Marym Zaheeruddin provided for this manuscript. This work was supported by the Mini Grant Program from the Center for Reproductive Health Research in the Southeast (RISE) at Emory University; the Jones Program in Ethics Mini-Grant at Emory University; the Research Development Grant from the Organization for Research on Women and Communication; and the Healthcare Innovation Program Student-Initiated Project Grant at the Georgia Clinical Sc Translational Science Alliance (CTSA). The Georgia CTSA is supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health [UL1TR002378]. Dr. Vu was supported by the US National Cancer Institute [F31CA243220 and T32CA193193] and National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences [KL2TR001424].
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Education
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
