Health information-seeking behavior among Congolese refugees.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine the extent to which Congolese refugees seek health information, to identify and assess the resources used while exercising Health Information-Seeking Behavior (HISB), and to identify individual determinants that affect their HISB. METHODOLOGY: Building Bridges program participants who resided in Texas between 2017-2020, reported country of origin as Democratic Republic of Congo, and responded to HISB questions were included in this study. Four HISB questions asked about frequency seeking health information, preferred source and perceived trustworthiness of source, and frequency worrying about their health. Associations between HISB and sociodemographic factors (age, gender, education years, years in US, proficiency speaking English, marital status) were tested using Pearson chi-square or Fisher's exact tests (α≤0.05). RESULTS: Most participants (59%) reported seeking health information sometimes. Less than half (44%) of participants identified doctors as their preferred source of health information, Twenty-five percent relied on family, friends, and community leaders, and 23% used media sources. Doctors were identified as the most trustworthy source (71%), family and friends were the second highest trusted source (25%), whereas media sources were the least trusted (4%). Sociodemographic factors age (p = .02), gender (p < .01), and education years (p < .01) were the only significant predictors of preferred information sources. Conversely, those residing in US <5 years were more likely to seek health information more frequently (p = .01). The majority of participants did not worry about their health, and it was not significantly associated with source or frequency of seeking health information. CONCLUSIONS: The high trust in doctors represents an opportunity for healthcare professionals to educate and address individual barriers contributing to refugees' underutilization of preventive care services such as routine immunizations and preventive health screenings.

Alcohol use among Congolese Babembe male refugees in Tarrant County: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Refugees are at high risk of alcohol abuse due to experiences in their country of origin, transit camps, and in host countries. Congolese have been the largest group of refugees resettled in the US since 2016 and Babembe represent one of the largest Congolese refugee sub-groups. There is a growing body of literature highlighting substance abuse among refugees resettled in the US, but little is known about Congolese Babembe. This study aimed to explore factors and practices contributing to alcohol abuse among Congolese Babembe refugees. METHODS: A qualitative research design employing a narrative inquiry approach was used in this study. One focus group discussion was conducted with a semi-structured guide in February 2020.A total of 19 hard-to-reach male refugee participants were recruited through snowball sampling. Audio recordings were translated and transcribed before a thematic content analysis was conducted using Nvivo 10. RESULTS: The main themes arose in the focus group analysis. First, the role of war, trauma, and migration in the onset of alcohol abuse in a community that once limited alcohol use to only older men for socialization. Second, refugees viewed alcohol abuse in their community as a result of post- resettlement cultural loss. Third, refugees perceived alcohol as serving a purpose to help cope with stressful conditions in the US and bad news received from loved ones in Africa. Further analysis shows the role of interactions with armed forces and other cultures during war and migration contributed to the adoption of alcohol abuse behavior. CONCLUSION: Findings from this study suggest that factors contributing to alcohol abuse among Congolese Babembe refugees include personal traumatic experiences, loss of cultural identity, and conducive conditions in the host country. Understanding these factors can guide the development of appropriate interventions to prevent alcohol abuse in this vulnerable community. Further research is needed to include Babembe women's perspectives.

Willingness of a Multiethnic Immigrant Population to Donate Biospecimens for Research Purposes.

This cross-sectional study explores the willingness to donate biospecimens for research purposes among six refugee communities in North Texas (spanning Myanmar, Central Africa, Somalia, Nepal, Arabic speaking countries, and others). Participants were asked four questions about biospecimen donation: (1) previously asked to donate, (2) ever agreed to donate, (3) willingness to donate for future research, and (4) what samples they would be willing to donate. Most participants (77%) were willing to donate biosamples for medical research; 58% were willing to donate samples. Fewer refugees from Somalia were willing to donate compared to immigrants from Myanmar, Central Africa, and Nepal (p < 0.01). Participants in the older age group (40 + years) were 3.2 times more likely to be willing for donation of biospecimens than the younger ones (OR 3.22, 95% CI 1.22, 8.55). Findings suggest refugees' willingness to participate in biospecimen donation which support intentional inclusion of multicultural populations into medical research.

Hepatitis B Virus Awareness, Infection, and Screening Multiethnic Community Intervention for Foreign-Born Populations.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a potentially deadly viral infection that can lead to liver cancer. Many refugee immigrants resettled in the US come from countries known to have a high prevalence of HBV infections. Unfortunately, most infected refugee immigrants are unaware of their HBV status. The disease is highly preventable through a vaccine, but chronic HBV is incurable once the disease has developed. For the purposes of this cross-sectional study, we conducted analysis of data collected through the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) to assess HBV awareness, vaccination status, screening, and infection among multiethnic, primarily refugee, immigrant populations living in North Texas. Overall, 74% of study participants reported having heard about HBV, but only 31% knew their HBV status. Whereas 69% of study participants lacked awareness about their HBV status and self-reported prevalence of chronic HBV among study participants was 4%. For the vaccine, only 26% reported to have received at least one dose; 53% did not know, while 21% had not ever received it. For those unaware of their HBV status, the BBI offered participants free HBV screening and assistance for vaccination as needed. 76% of participants that accepted HBV screening from BBI were never screened before (enrollment in BBI). Chronic HBV positivity rate for participants was 6%, which is twenty times higher than the national prevalence of chronic HBV (0.3%). High prevalence of HBV, low awareness and low vaccination rates seen in this study highlights the need for increased HBV prevention among foreign born populations.