Eighth International Conference on Health, Wellness & Society

Abstract

Integration of the immigrants into the health care system of the host country is key to ensuring their well-being. This study examined the influence of cultural restrictions among immigrants of middle-east origin on their access to primary health care. A mixed study approach was used, which involved quantitative evaluation of a total of 42 existing literature and a survey study that involved 256 respondents drawn from Alameda County California. The respondents were conveniently sampled and issued with validated online questionnaires. The obtained data were analyzed using descriptive and correlation statistics at a significance level of 0.05. A significantly high proportion (68%, P<0.01) of immigrants of middle-east origin who do not have access to primary health care are women. Strict adherence to the cultural restriction of women against interaction with unrelated members of opposite sex was observed to correlate with high cases of poor access to primary health care (r= 0.4, n=56, P=0.03). Based on this study, the health care system in the host country needs to adopt a strategy that ensures that the cultural concerns among immigrants of middle-east origin are addressed through adherence to culturally competent primary health care provision strategy.