Affirming Immigrant Women’s Health: Building Inclusive Health Policy docx

Affirming Immigrant

Women’s Health:

Building Inclusive Health Policy

A report presented to the Maritime Centre of Excellence by Marian

MacKinnon, Principal Investigator, Associate Professor, UPEI and President,

InterCultural Health Assembly of PEI and Laura Lee Howard, Co-Principal

Investigator, Past Executive Director, PEI Association for Newcomers to

Canada

May 2000

Affirming Immigrant Women’s Health Research Project

This paper was funded by the Maritime Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health and the Women’s Health

Bureau. It expresses the views and opinions of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the official policy

of the Women’s Health Bureau, Health Canada, Maritime Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health or of its

sponsors.

© Copyright is shared between MCEWH and the authors, Marian MacKinnon and Laura Lee Howard.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................... iii

1.0 Summary of the Research Project ....................................................................... 1

1.1 Summary of the Research Project ...................................................................................... 1

1.1.1 The Current State of Knowledge about the Topic ................................................. 1

1.1.2 Research Questions, Goals and Objectives ............................................................ 2

1.2 Methodology ...................................................................................................................... 3

1.2.1 Design of the Study ................................................................................................ 3

1.2.2 The Population ....................................................................................................... 3

1.2.3 Data Collection ...................................................................................................... 4

1.2.4 Data Analysis.......................................................................................................... 4

1.2.5 Credibility ............................................................................................................... 5

1.2.6 Ethical Considerations ............................................................................................ 5

1.3 Findings and Discussion ..................................................................................................... 6

1.3.1 Health Issue I: Immigrant Women Are Unrecognized Resources ......................... 6

Theme 1: Biophysical Endowment .............................................................................. 6

Theme 2: Personal Health Practices and Coping ......................................................... 8

1.3.2 Health Issue II: Vulnerability to Health Risks ..................................................... 11

Theme 1: Social Support ............................................................................................ 11

Theme 2: Socioeconomic Factors .............................................................................. 12

1.3.3 Health Issue III: Barriers to Health Care .............................................................. 13

1.3.4 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 16

1.4 The Development of Partnerships .................................................................................... 16

1.4.1 The Partnership in Action: Roles and Functions .................................................. 16

2.0 Evaluation ............................................................................................................. 17

2.1 Review of the Initial Evaluation Plan .............................................................................. 17

2.2 Review of the Research Objectives .................................................................................. 18

2.3 Review of the Research Plan ............................................................................................ 18

2.4 Challenges ........................................................................................................................ 19

2.5 Lessons Learned ............................................................................................................... 19

3.0 Dissemination/Knowledge Sharing .................................................................... 20

4.0 Summary of Outcomes and Implications for Maritime Centre of Excellence for Women's

Health Mandates and Research Programs ................................................................ 21

4.1 Implications for MCEWH Mandates ............................................................................... 21

4.2 Implications for MCEWH Research Programs ................................................................ 21

5.0 Impact on Policy-Making/Implications for Policy-Making ..................................... 22

References ............................................................................................................................... 24

Appendices

Appendix A Focus Group with Immigrant Women.............................................................. 26

Appendix B Semi-Structured Interview Guide .................................................................... 29

Appendix C Personal Data Questionnaire ............................................................................ 31

Appendix D Feedback from Target Group .......................................................................... 33

Appendix E Research Advisory Committee (RAC) Members............................................. 35

Appendix F Feedback from RAC ........................................................................................ 36

Appendix G Policy Fact Sheets ........................................................................................... 37

Appendix H Research Fact Sheet and Recommendations for Future Research .................. 38

ii Affirming Immigrant Women’s Health Research Project