title: Religious Barriers to Health for Members of the Bronx Ghanaian Immigrant Muslim Community in New York City.
abstract: This research investigated the influence of religious beliefs, as well as education, immigration status, and health insurance status, on the perceived access and willingness to use healthcare services by the Bronx Ghanaian Immigrant Muslim Community (BGIMC) in New York City. A survey was administered to 156 male and female BGIMC members. Members with insurance were nine times more likely to report access to health care and almost seven times more likely to use healthcare services in the past 12 months. Immigration status, health insurance status, and education did not predict willingness to use health care for a broken arm nor for a severe fever but did predict willingness to use health care when experiencing dizziness. Understanding the social and religious factors related to the use of healthcare services should lead to tailored health insurance and access initiatives for the BGIMC and serve as a model for other immigrant communities in the USA.
authors.affiliation: , 1154 East 221st Street, Bronx, NY, 10469, USA.
authors.forename: Adam A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Musah
authors.affiliation: , 2555 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 1006, Washington, DC, 20037, USA. Ronald.hudak@waldenu.edu.
authors.forename: Ronald P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Hudak
mesh_terms: D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004641:Emigration and Immigration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005869:Ghana / Q000208:ethnology; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007514:Islam; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009519:New York City; D012068:Religion and Medicine
keywords: Barriers; Healthcare access; Religion