Abstract
Few studies have investigated what Vietnamese American women believe about the Pap smear or how those beliefs might influence behavior. Thirty-one Vietnamese American women recruited through snowball sampling were interviewed about their beliefs regarding the Pap smear. Interviews were qualitatively analyzed using a theoretically informed, inductive approach. The women interviewed emphasized the importance of primary prevention of disease through culturally-informed personal health regimens. They were also largely unfamiliar with the Pap smear, but believed that gynecological exams in general were effective and necessary for disease detection. Finally, when access to gynecological care was difficult, women's faith in their own preventive behaviors helped alleviate their concerns over lack of care. While culturally associated beliefs do not simply "cause" Vietnamese American women to seek or avoid Pap smears, they do influence screening behaviors to a greater or lesser degree, depending on other contextual variables.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1084-1089 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 2011 |
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Keywords
- Cervical cancer
- Pap smear CBPR
- Vietnamese-American
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Epidemiology
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Medicine(all)
Cite this
Prioritizing prevention : Culture, context, and cervical cancer screening among Vietnamese American women. / Gregg, Jessica; Nguyen-Truong, Connie K Y; Wang, Pei Ru; Kobus, Amy.
In: Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, Vol. 13, No. 6, 12.2011, p. 1084-1089.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Prioritizing prevention
T2 - Culture, context, and cervical cancer screening among Vietnamese American women
AU - Gregg, Jessica
AU - Nguyen-Truong, Connie K Y
AU - Wang, Pei Ru
AU - Kobus, Amy
PY - 2011/12
Y1 - 2011/12
N2 - Few studies have investigated what Vietnamese American women believe about the Pap smear or how those beliefs might influence behavior. Thirty-one Vietnamese American women recruited through snowball sampling were interviewed about their beliefs regarding the Pap smear. Interviews were qualitatively analyzed using a theoretically informed, inductive approach. The women interviewed emphasized the importance of primary prevention of disease through culturally-informed personal health regimens. They were also largely unfamiliar with the Pap smear, but believed that gynecological exams in general were effective and necessary for disease detection. Finally, when access to gynecological care was difficult, women's faith in their own preventive behaviors helped alleviate their concerns over lack of care. While culturally associated beliefs do not simply "cause" Vietnamese American women to seek or avoid Pap smears, they do influence screening behaviors to a greater or lesser degree, depending on other contextual variables.
AB - Few studies have investigated what Vietnamese American women believe about the Pap smear or how those beliefs might influence behavior. Thirty-one Vietnamese American women recruited through snowball sampling were interviewed about their beliefs regarding the Pap smear. Interviews were qualitatively analyzed using a theoretically informed, inductive approach. The women interviewed emphasized the importance of primary prevention of disease through culturally-informed personal health regimens. They were also largely unfamiliar with the Pap smear, but believed that gynecological exams in general were effective and necessary for disease detection. Finally, when access to gynecological care was difficult, women's faith in their own preventive behaviors helped alleviate their concerns over lack of care. While culturally associated beliefs do not simply "cause" Vietnamese American women to seek or avoid Pap smears, they do influence screening behaviors to a greater or lesser degree, depending on other contextual variables.
KW - Cervical cancer
KW - Pap smear CBPR
KW - Vietnamese-American
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=80755140072&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=80755140072&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10903-011-9493-2
DO - 10.1007/s10903-011-9493-2
M3 - Article
C2 - 21681408
AN - SCOPUS:80755140072
VL - 13
SP - 1084
EP - 1089
JO - Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
JF - Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
SN - 1557-1912
IS - 6
ER -