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The Awareness of Cancer Risk and Healthy Lifestyle among Non-refugees Compared with Refugees Resettled in the United States
- Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved
- Johns Hopkins University Press
- Volume 32, Number 4, November 2021
- pp. 1818-1828
- 10.1353/hpu.2021.0168
- Article
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Abstract:
Purpose. The purpose of this study is to examine the following questions: 1) Do refugees and non-refugees differ in self-rated health? 2) Do refugees and non-refugees differ in cancer risk awareness? and 3) Are lifestyle factors such as diet, physical activity participation, and weight status risk or protective factors of cancer risk awareness? Methods. A self-administered or interviewer-administered survey were collected from adults with a refugee background from spring to fall in 2017 in Salt Lake County, Utah. Free clinic data (a non-refugee comparison group) were collected using a self-administered survey from May to June in 2017 from a free clinic in Salt Lake County, Utah. Results. Refugees reported better self-rated health and were less likely to be obese/overweight, have family history of cancer, and have healthy diet. Refugees reported lower levels of cancer risk awareness than free clinic non-refugee patients. Having a healthy diet was associated with higher levels of cancer risk awareness. Conclusion. Future studies should examine cultural differences related to cancer risk awareness among refugee populations.