Public Health Determinants of Breast Cancer Screening Uptake Among African Immigrant Women in Georgia

Despite generally higher levels of education and household income, African immigrant women in the United States face unique barriers to timely screening and diagnosis of breast cancer, which hinders early detection and treatment. Research suggests that many variances are present between the cancer screening practices of American women and women who immigrated to the US. The objective of this study was to determine the rates of breast cancer screening amongst the African immigrant population in Georgia and to determine the factors that affect screening uptake. A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out using semi-structured questionnaires administered to 145 African immigrant women through a joint initiative involving Morehouse School of Medicine and Redeemer's Medical Centre. Data were analyzed using descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate statistical methods. Although 82% of participants said they practiced BSE, the study discovered that there were substantial differences in the frequency and accuracy of these activities among the various demographic groups. Although screening behaviours were favourably correlated with money and education, obstacles like ignorance, fear, mistrust of the healthcare system, cultural views, and a limited knowledge of the healthcare system in the United States continued to exist. Notably, there were misunderstandings regarding breast cancer, such as the idea that the illness has contagious or spiritual roots. Due to social, linguistic, and healthcare system- related problems, African immigrant women in Georgia face significant obstacles to breast cancer screening, even with relatively high levels of education and money. Our results suggest that there is an urgent need for more research to develop more culturally competent interventions to improve breast cancer screening and ultimately help reduce the prevalence of breast cancer among female African immigrants living in the US.