Migrant women’s engagement in health-promotive activities through a women’s health collaboration

Bibliographic Data

ID22071024
AuthorsCecilia Lindsjö (Malmö University, corresponding author), Katarina Sjögren Forss (0000-0002-3594-3944, Malmö University), Christine Kumlien (0000-0002-1437-5060, Malmö University), Anders Kottorp (0000-0002-8976-2612, Malmö University), Margareta Rämgård (0000-0003-1235-620X, Malmö University)
Year2023
Volume11
Pages1106972-1106972
Publication date2023-06-15
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565
PublisherFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpubh.2023.1106972
PMID37397757
OpenAlexW4380997174
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited40

Introduction: Social determinants of health impact health, and migrants are exposed to an inequitable distribution of resources that may impact their health negatively, leading to health inequality and social injustice. Migrant women are difficult to engage in health-promotional activities because of language barriers, socioeconomic circumstances, and other social determinants. Based on the framework of Paulo Freire, a community health promotion program was established in a community-academic partnership with a community-based participatory research approach. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe how a collaborative women's health initiative contributed to migrant women's engagement in health promotion activities. Materials and methods: This study was part of a larger program, carried out in a disadvantaged city area in Sweden. It had a qualitative design with a participatory approach, following up on actions taken to promote health. Health-promotional activities were developed in collaboration with a women's health group, facilitated by a lay health promoter. The study population was formed by 17 mainly Middle Eastern migrant women. Data was collected using the story-dialog method and the material was analyzed using thematic analysis. Result: Three important contributors to engagement in health promotion were identified at an early stage of the analysis process, namely, the group forming a social network, the local facilitator from the community, and the use of social places close to home. Later in the analysis process, a connection was made between these contributors and the rationale behind their importance, that is, how they motivated and supported the women and how the dialog was conducted. This therefore became the designated themes and were connected to all contributors, forming three main themes and nine sub-themes. Conclusion: The key implication was that the women made use of their health knowledge and put it into practice. Thus, a progression from functional health literacy to a level of critical health literacy may be said to have occurred

Citizen journalism · Community health · Community-based participatory research · Disadvantaged · Facilitator · Health education · Health equity · Health promotion · Participatory action research · Political science · Population health · Public health · Public relations · Qualitative research · Social determinants of health · Social science · Sociology · Thematic analysis · Cultural Competency in Health Care · Health Literacy and Information Accessibility · Medicine · Migration, Health and Trauma · Nursing · Psychology · Social Psychology · Health Policy

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