title: Addressing cancer control needs of African-born immigrants in the US: a systematic literature review.
abstract: Compared to non-Hispanic Whites, African immigrants have worse cancer outcomes. However, there is little research about cancer behaviors and/or interventions in this growing population as they are generally grouped with populations from America or the Caribbean. This systematic review examines cancer-related studies that included African-born participants. We searched PsycINFO, Ovid Medline, Pubmed, CINHAL, and Web of Science for articles focusing on any type of cancer that included African-born immigrant participants. Twenty articles met study inclusion criteria; only two were interventions. Most articles focused on one type of cancer (n=11) (e.g., breast cancer) and were conducted in disease-free populations (n=15). Studies included African participants mostly from Nigeria (n=8) and Somalia (n=6). However, many papers (n=7) did not specify nationality or had small percentages (<5%) of African immigrants (n=5). Studies found lower screening rates in African immigrants compared to other subpopulations (e.g. US-born). Awareness of screening practices was limited. Higher acculturation levels were associated with higher screening rates. Barriers to screening included access (e.g. insurance), pragmatic (e.g. transportation), and psychosocial barriers (e.g. shame). Interventions to improve cancer outcomes in African immigrants are needed. Research that includes larger samples with diverse African subgroups including cancer survivors is necessary to inform future directions.
authors.affiliation: Breast Cancer Program and Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA. Electronic address: ahd28@georgetown.edu.
authors.forename: Alejandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hurtado-de-Mendoza
authors.affiliation: Breast Cancer Program and Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Minna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Cancer Biology, Prevention & Control, University District of Columbia, Lombardi Cancer Center Cancer Prevention Master's Degree Program, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Ocla
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kigen
authors.affiliation: Breast Cancer Program and Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Yvonne
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jennings
authors.affiliation: African Women's Cancer Awareness Association, Silver Spring, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Ify
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nwabukwu
authors.affiliation: Breast Cancer Program and Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Vanessa B
authors.initials: VB
authors.lastname: Sheppard
mesh_terms: D044383:Black People / Q000523:psychology*; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology*; D014481:United States; D001741:Black or African American
keywords: African immigrants; Cancer; Cancer prevention; Systematic literature review