Barriers and Facilitators to Culturally Appropriate Cancer Health Education for Kenyan Immigrants in Washington State

Access to culturally linguistically appropriate services, such as cancer information in languages other than English that consider a group's cultural beliefs, traditions, values, and practices, is increasingly recognized as a global health communication priority. However, African immigrants face significant barriers to accessing these resources, making it difficult for them to make informed healthcare decisions. Grounded in the conceptual framework of the Andersen behavioral model of health care utilization and the social determinants of health, the purpose of this study was to explore the barriers and facilitators to accessing culturally appropriate cancer health education by Kenyan immigrants in Washington State. The research questions examined participants' experiences, perceptions, barriers, and facilitators, to accessing these resources. A qualitative basic study design was employed within a purposeful sample of 10 interview respondents drawn from the Kenyan immigrant community in Washington State. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire and an interview protocol, while the emergent themes were extracted from the interview data through direct content and domain analysis. Low health literacy, language barriers, acculturation, stigma and taboos, and systemic inequalities were identified as barriers, whereas employing bilingual healthcare workers, fostering community-based programs, and promoting access to culturally appropriate cancer health education materials were identified as key facilitators. The findings may drive positive social change by informing health equity policies and practices, improving health literacy, strengthening family health dynamics, and providing community health care services.