Cancer Information Comprehension by English-as-a-Second-Language Immigrant Women

• Published in: Journal of health communication Vol. 16; no. 1; pp. 17 - 33
• Main Authors: Thomson, M. D., Hoffman-Goetz, L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia, PA Taylor & Francis Group 01-01-2011; Taylor & Francis; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Access to information; Acculturation; Biological and medical sciences; Canada; Cancer; Colonic Neoplasms - diagnosis; Comprehension; Culture; Early Detection of Cancer - utilization; Emigrants and Immigrants - psychology; Emigrants and Immigrants - statistics & numerical data; English as a second language; Female; Foreign languages; Health education; Health information; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health Literacy; Health technology assessment; Humans; Immigrants; Medical sciences; Medical screening; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Multilingualism; Noncitizens; Ontario; Prevention; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Socioeconomic Factors; Women; Ontario; Canada; Human; Immigrant; Female; Malignant tumor; Comprehension; Woman; Information; Foreign language; Public health; Cancer; Communication
• ISSN: 1081-0730; 1087-0415
• DOI: 10.1080/10810730.2010.529496

Limited acculturation and socioeconomic factors have been associated with lower participation in cancer screening. Limited comprehension of cancer prevention information may contribute to this association. The authors used a stepwise linear regression to model acculturation and socioeconomic factors as predictors of comprehension (colon cancer and general health information) and screening intention in a sample of 78 Spanish-speaking immigrant women in Canada. The authors used the McNemar test to look for changes in women's screening intention. They used the Bidimensional Acculturation Scale, a language-based scale, to assess acculturation. Among English-as-a-second-language immigrant women, acculturation, television and Internet use, age, and Spanish-language education predicted comprehension of cancer prevention information, F(3, 69) = 6.76, p < .001, R
2
 = .23. These variables also predicted comprehension of general health information, via the short form of the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults, F(4, 68) = 12.13, p < .001, R
2
 = .42; and the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine, F(2, 70) = 7.54, p = .001, R
2
 = .17. However, the variables did not predict screening intention. More women expressed intention to be screened after reading the cancer prevention information than expected by chance alone, p = .002. Acculturation is an important influence on the comprehension of health information by older English-as-a-second-language immigrant women. However, other culture-related factors not measured by the Bidimensional Acculturation Scale likely influence their exposure to and understanding of health and cancer prevention information.