Immigrant Women's Health: Problems and Solutions / Edition 1

by Elizabeth J. Kramer, Susan L. Ivey, Yu-Wen Ying

Overview

This is a significant and timely book. The chapters are rich indescribing clinical considerations and approaches to the immigrantpatient in a broad range of disease areas. I recommAnd this book toall administrators and clinicians who serve or plan to serve thegrowing immigrant populations in the United States.
—Henry Chung, medical director, Chinatown Health Clinic, New York,New York

Immigrant Women's Health offers doctors, nurses, and administratorsthe knowledge and tools they need to meet the challenge to providequality care for one of the United States' most vulnerable patientpopulations-immigrant women.

Providing readers insights into the knowledge, attitudes, healthbeliefs, health care practices, and health care seeking behavior ofimmigrant women, the contributors offer effective strategies forproviding culturally-competent, high-quality, cost-effective careto migrant women. Health care planners, policy makers, andadministrators who seek a clear understanding of the issuessurrounding health services utilization by immigrants and thedevastating effects of recent changes to federal policies will findthis book a vital and practical reference.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780787942946
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	12/15/1998
Series:	Health and Psychology Series
Pages:	464
Product dimensions:	6.22(w) x 9.21(h) x 1.33(d)

About the Author

ELIZABETH J. KRAMER, a clinical epidemiologist and medical writer, is a research scientist in the Division of Primary Care Internal Medicine at New York University School of Medicine where she specializes in immigrant health and women's health. SUSAN L. IVEY is a family and emergency physician and a health policy research specialist in the Center for Family and Community Health, School of Public Health at the University of California at Berkeley. YU-WEN YING is a professor at the School of Social Welfare, University of California at Berkeley. Her major interests are Asian American mental health, immigrant and refugee adaptation, acculturation, and ethnic identity formation.

Table of Contents

BACKGROUND.

Demographics, Definitions, and Data Limitations (E. Kramer, etal.).

Culture and Multicultural Competence (E. Ferran, et al.).

Linguistic Issues (S. Riddick).

Health Services Utilization and Access to Care (S. Ivey).

Utilization of Mental Health Services (K. Chun & P.Akutsu).

The Impact of Recent Legislation on the Delivery of Health Care toImmigrants Welfare and Immigration Reforms in 1996 and 1997 (S.Ivey).

Proposition 187: California's Anti-Immigration Statute (N.Mizoguchi).

HEALTH PROBLEMS AND CONCERNS.

Screening, Infectious Diseases, and Nutritional Concerns InitialAssessment, Screening, and Immunizations (S.Ivey & S.Faust).

Infectious Diseases (R. Avery).

Nutritional Assessment and Dietary Intervention (M. Lee & S.Huang).
Prenatal and Reproductive Health Care (F. Taylor, et al.).

Chronic Diseases Cardiovascular Disease (S. Ivey & G.Gardner).

Hypertension (D. Lieberman, et al.0>

Diabetes Mellitus (E. Kramer & W. Bateman).

Breast and Cervical Cancer (B. Wismer).

Osteoporosis (E. Siegler & E. Kramer).

EMOTIONAL, PSYCHOSOMATIC, BEHAVIORAL, AND MENTAL HEALTHPROBLEMS.

Domestic and Sexual Violence Domestic Violence (S. Srinivasan &S. Ivey).

Sexual Violence, Rape, and War (K. Compton & D.Chechile).

Female Genital Mutilation (K. Compton & D. Chechile).

Depression and Anxiety Disorders (L. Tracy & S. Mattar).

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (L. Tracy).

Somatization, Neurasthenia, and Culture-Bound SyndromesSomatization Disorders (C. Hoover, et al.).

Culture-Bound Syndromes (A. Ng).

MEETING THE HEALTH CARE NEEDS OF IMMIGRANT WOMEN: MODEL PROGRAMSAND TOOLS.

Applications of Linguistic Strategies in Health Care Settings (S.Riddick).

A Model Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Support Group for CambodianWomen (J. Shepherd).

An Educational Program for Families on Intergenerational Conflict(Y. Ying).

The Korean Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Demonstration (B.Wismer, et al.).

A Case Study of Asian Health Services (S. Hirota).

A Cultural Competence Curriculum (E. Kramer & W.Bateman).

Cultural Competence Assessment of Practices, Clinics, and HealthCare Facilities (D. Andrulis).

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Michele Issel, PhD, RN (University of Illinois at Chicago)
Description: This enlightening book provides basic yet comprehensive information about the health issues faced by women from numerous distinct cultural backgrounds as they become immigrants to the United States.
Purpose: The purpose is to connect health problems of immigrant women to actual or potential solutions that can be used by healthcare providers across various healthcare settings.
Audience: This book has a multidisciplinary focus that translates into a wealth of information useful for physicians, nurses, social workers, and psychologists.
Features: Basic information about immigration is provided, as well as chapters on linguistic issues, access and utilization of health services, and cultural competence. Several chapters are devoted to specific health problems; these address issues related to the specific health problem from the perspective of different cultural backgrounds. The health topics are organized by problem rather than by culture, making the book more accessible to health professionals. In addition, several model community health programs are highlighted as examples of the possible solutions to the health issues faced by immigrant women. Chapter contents are up-to-date and include suggestions for broaching the topic with the women and for treatment approaches.
Assessment: The editors, each from a different health discipline, have created a book of contributed chapters that has a coherence and evenness that makes the sometimes sensitive content easy to read and absorb.

Doody's Review Service

"The authors are to be commended for an outstanding review of thehealth issues of the newest members of our country. Increasingly weare reminded that human rights are women's rights. No country isexempt from this principle; infringement includes the prizes ofwar, bride burning, unnecessary surgery, sexual assault (domesticviolence), and lack of access to health care." (Jean Fourcroy, pastpresident, American Medical Women's Association; adjunct professor,urology, Uniformed Services University of Health Science, Bethesda,MD)

"This is a significant and timely book. The chapters are rich indescribing clinical considerations for and approaches to theimmigrant patient in a broad range of disease areas. I recommend this book to all administrators and clinicians who serve or plan toserve the growing immigrant populations in the United States.Particularly noteworthy is the book's emphasis on women's healthissues and the acknowledgment of the key roles women play inaccessing health care for their families." (Henry Chung, medicaldirector, Chinatown Health Clinic, New York)

"The time has come . . . to address the inequities in the deliveryof health care to all who reside in the United States. We must bewilling to . . . provide services and information . . .that meetcultural, psychosocial, and educational needs. This book goes along way toward achieving that goal by providing a solid backgroundon the major clinical, behavioral, and policy issues, problems andprospects as well as potential solutions and examples of exemplaryprograms which can be replicated. It comes to the marketplace not amoment too soon!" (Lillian Pardo Gonzalez, professor of pediatricsand neurology, University of Kansas School of Medicine)

"This book offers a comprehensive overview that can helpclinicians, health care leaders, and educators prepare forrequisite changes in health care delivery. The perspective onimmigrant women's health is refreshing, emphasizing positiveaspects as well as challenges experienced by immigrant women."(JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association)

From the Publisher

5 Stars! from Doody

This enlightening book provides basic yet comprehensive information about the health issues faced by women from numerous distinct cultural backgrounds as they become immigrants to the United States. The purpose is to connect health problems of immigrant women to actual or potential solutions that can be used by healthcare providers across various healthcare settings. This book has a multidisciplinary focus that translates into a wealth of information useful for physicians, nurses, social workers, and psychologists. Basic information about immigration is provided, as well as chapters on linguistic issues, access and utilization of health services, and cultural competence. Several chapters are devoted to specific health problems; these address issues related to the specific health problem from the perspective of different cultural backgrounds. The health topics are organized by problem rather than by culture, making the book more accessible to health professionals. In addition, several model community health programs are highlighted as examples of the possible solutions to the health issues faced by immigrant women. Chapter contents are up-to-date and include suggestions for broaching the topic with the women and for treatment approaches. The editors, each from a different health discipline, have created a book of contributed chapters that has a coherence and evenness that makes the sometimes sensitive content easy to read and absorb.

Michele Issel

This unique book provides a welcome perspective on understanding the health status and utilization of health care services of immigrant women. It clearly points out that we would benefit greatly from a rational allocation of appropriate resources for preventive and safety net services. And by understanding a patient's culture and experiences, we will attain better health outcomes, better adherence, and a more satisfied patient and gain a new sense of empowerment in caring for immigrant women.

Journal of the American Medical Association

Contributors to 20 papers expand the cross-cultural understanding of and attempts to overcome the multiple healthcare barriers faced by immigrant women in four areas: background demographics, definitions, system and data limitations; health problems and concerns (reproductive, nutritional, infectious and chronic diseases); emotional, psychosomatic, behavioral, and mental health problems; and model program development and professional training for meeting immigrant health needs. Screening protocols and data tables augment the analysis related to risk factors, medical tests, mortality rates, and domestic violence. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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