Filipino American Women

Factors That May Lead to Being Screened Rarely or Never

Knowledge, Attitude, and Belief Barriers¹

• Language: little to no English proficiency
• Traditional health beliefs
• High levels of modesty
• Traditional gender roles

External and Other Barriers²

• Acculturation: Short length of time in the United States
• Access to health care
• Never having had a checkup
• No health insurance, for elderly women

Current Research on Outreach/Intervention Strategies¹

Target Audience

• Interventions should be targeted specifically to Filipino women who are less acculturated, have recently arrived, and are underinsured or uninsured.



• Interventions are needed for both the more educated, affluent women and those less acculturated, educated, and affluent.

Beliefs/Language

• Interventions tailored to older women should use Tagalog or other Filipino languages.



• Educational materials preferably should be language-specific or combine a Filipino language (e.g., Tagalog) with an easily understood English version. An evolving form of communication in the Filipino-American community is "Tag-Lish," a combination of Tagalog and English expressions skillfully blended in written or oral form.
  
  Note: Using this mode of communication for educational materials may help to highlight cultural contexts and enhance cultural bonds for many Filipino women, ultimately enabling them to change behavior.



• Interventions for younger women should acknowledge the importance of modesty and traditional gender role values. Barriers to cervical screening could be reduced by focusing on access to female health care providers and privacy of the clinical encounter, featuring the availability of low-cost or free screening, and stressing the importance of screening at all ages.



• Recruitment practices should be discreet for women who never had a Pap test.
  
  Note: Many traditionally oriented Filipino women may avoid going to the community clinic during cancer screening drives for Pap tests fearing embarrassment or being seen by neighborhood friends and acquaintances. Protecting the privacy of unmarried women is an important part of Filipino culture to help ensure the future of unmarried women includes a "good" marriage partner.



• Interventions for older women should incorporate relevant traditional health beliefs.

Works Cited

1. McBride MR, Pasick RJ, Stewart S, Tuason N, Sabogal F, Dueñas G. Factors associated with cervical cancer screening among Filipino women in California. Asian American and Pacific Islander Journal of Health 6(2):358-367, 1998.



2. Maxwell AE, Bastani R, Warda US. Demographic predictors of cancer screening among Filipino and Korean immigrants in the United States. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 18(1):62-68, 2000.