What are the Major Health and Well-Being Concerns Experienced by African Immigrant Women Residing in the U.K

By

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I certify that the work presented in the dissertation is my own unless referenced

Signature..........................................

Date.....................................

I would like to express my thanks to my advisor, for his suggestions, comments, patience and understanding. Very special thanks to my parents, my father, my mother, my brother and my sister who were continuously supporting me throughout my life and leaving me free in all my decisions. I would also like to thank my colleagues for his technical support whenever I needed. I would like to thank to Department, all the university managers, teachers and students with whom I have worked.

DECLARATION

I declare that the contents of this dissertation/thesis represent my own unaided work, and that the dissertation/thesis has not previously been submitted for academic examination towards any qualification. I further declare that this work has not previously been presented in whole or part, for any other award, or published in whole or in part elsewhere, including this university. Furthermore, it represents my own opinions and not necessarily those of the University.

Signed __________________ Date _________________

ABSTRACT

In the UK, black Caribbean and African populations experience disproportionately high rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV. Often studies do not differentiate between these populations notwithstanding differences in STI epidemiology and sociodemographics. Patterns of care-seeking behaviour for STIs were explored separately for black Caribbean (n= 345), black African (n= 193) and white people through a cross-sectional survey of 2824 people attending five genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics in England. Black Caribbean men were least likely to use, or try to use, their general practice surgery prior to GUM clinic attendance (16.6%). Symptomatic black Caribbean and African men were least likely to delay seeking care (30.8 and 26.3%, respectively). Symptomatic black Caribbean men faced the least provider delay in accessing care (27.3%). Black Caribbean men and women were most likely, and black African men and women least likely, to be diagnosed with an STI (49.7 and 32.0% versus 26.8 and 16.3%, respectively). Among symptomatic women, black Caribbeans and, among symptomatic men, black Africans were most likely to report abstaining from sex (46.3 and 73.1%, respectively). Our analyses highlight the importance of distinguishing between black ethnic groups and the need for future studies to ensure sufficiently large samples to permit such analyses.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTii

DECLARATIONiii

ABSTRACTiv

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Background1

Rationale for the Study2

Research Question2

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW3

Health of Migrants4

Placing Health and Treatment within Transnational Networks8

The UK Based Health and Treatment Networks10

Transnational Health and Treatment Networks12

Treatment Meanings, Values and Associations14

Traditional Myths, Beliefs, and Practice of the African Women15

Social Work Intervention For Immigratnt Women16

Strategies for Mental Health Practitioners17

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY19

Population and sampling19

Statistical analyses19

Ethical Considerations20

CHAPTER 4: EXPECTED CONCLUSION21

REFERENCES23

Appendix25

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Background

In the UK, black Caribbeans and Africans continue to be identified as target groups for prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV, due to disproportionately high STI and HIV rates, respectively, over the last 20 years. Data from Britain's national probability surveys of sexual behaviour, the National Surveys of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles ('Natsal'), show that ...