Free Standard AU & NZ Shipping For All Book Orders Over $80!
Register      Login
Australian Journal of Primary Health Australian Journal of Primary Health Society
The issues influencing community health services and primary health care
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Primary healthcare providers’ attitudes and beliefs about the menopause-related care needs of women who have migrated from low- and middle-income countries to Australia

Karin A. Stanzel A B , Karin Hammarberg A and Jane Fisher A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Global and Women’s Health, Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Level 4, 553 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Vic. 3004, Australia.

B Corresponding author. Email: karin.stanzel@monash.edu

Australian Journal of Primary Health 26(1) 88-94 https://doi.org/10.1071/PY19132
Submitted: 28 June 2019  Accepted: 05 September 2019   Published: 18 November 2019

Abstract

Health behaviour during midlife is linked to health outcomes in older age. Primary healthcare providers (PHCPs) are ideally placed to provide health-promoting information opportunistically to women in midlife. The aim of this study was to explore PHCPs views about the menopause-related care needs of migrant women from low- and middle-income countries and what they perceive as barriers and enablers for providing this. Of the 139 PHCPs who responded to an anonymous online survey, less than one-third (29.9%) routinely offered menopause-related information during consultations with migrant women. Most agreed that short appointments times (70.8%), lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate menopause information (82.5%) and lack of confidence in providing menopause-related care (32.5%) are barriers for providing comprehensive menopause-related care to migrant women. To overcome these, a menopause-specific Medicare item number and a one-stop website with health information in community languages were suggested. These findings suggest that menopause-related care is not routinely offered by PHCPs to migrant women from low- and middle- income countries and that their capacity to do this may be improved with adequate educational and structural support.

Additional keywords: health education, health literacy, health promotion, primary care, women’s health.


References

Australian Bureau of Statistics (2016) Census of Population and Housing, Australia, 2016 – Cultural diversity in Australia. (ABS: Canberra, ACT, Australia) Available at http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/2071.0~2016~Main%20Features~Cultural%20Diversity%20Article~60 [Verified 30 May 2019]

Australian Government (2016) Primary Health Care in Australia. Australian Government, Canberra, ACT, Australia.

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2018) Older Australia at a glance. (AIHW: Canberra, ACT, Australia) Available at https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/older-people/older-australia-at-a-glance/contents/summary [Verified 6 May 2018]

Bellamy K, Ostini R, Martini N, Kairuz T (2019) Insights from the coalface: barriers to accessing medicines and pharmacy services for resettled refugees from Africa. Australian Journal of Primary Health 25, 118–124.
Insights from the coalface: barriers to accessing medicines and pharmacy services for resettled refugees from Africa.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 30721646PubMed |

Guthrie JR, Dennerstein L, Taffe JR, Lehert P, Burger HG (2004) The menopausal transition: a 9-year prospective population-based study. The Melbourne Women’s Midlife Health Project. Climacteric 7, 375–389.
The menopausal transition: a 9-year prospective population-based study. The Melbourne Women’s Midlife Health Project.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 15799609PubMed |

Higginbottom GM, Morgan M, Alexandre M, Chiu Y, Forgeron J, Kocay D, Barolia R (2015) Immigrant women’s experiences of maternity-care services in Canada: a systematic review using a narrative synthesis. Systematic Reviews 4, 13
Immigrant women’s experiences of maternity-care services in Canada: a systematic review using a narrative synthesis.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 26187687PubMed |

Komesaroff PA, Kafanelis B, Black C, Cable V, Sudhir K, Daly J (2002) Experiences at menopause of women in a non-English-speaking community: a qualitative study. Climacteric 5, 78–86.
Experiences at menopause of women in a non-English-speaking community: a qualitative study.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 11974562PubMed |

Kristiansen M, Razum O, Tezcan-Guntekin H, Krasnik A (2016) Aging and health among migrants in a European perspective. Public Health Reviews 37, 20
Aging and health among migrants in a European perspective.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 29450062PubMed |

Lindenmeyer A, Redwood S, Griffith L, Teladia Z, Phillimore J (2016) Experiences of primary care professionals providing healthcare to recently arrived migrants: a qualitative study. BMJ Open 6, e012561
Experiences of primary care professionals providing healthcare to recently arrived migrants: a qualitative study.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 27852703PubMed |

Liu J, Eden JA (2008) The menopausal experience of Greek women living in Sydney. Menopause (New York, N.Y.) 15, 476–481.
The menopausal experience of Greek women living in Sydney.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Meadows LM, Thurston WE, Melton C (2001) Immigrant women’s health. Social Science & Medicine 52, 1451–1458.
Immigrant women’s health.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Mengesha ZB, Dune T, Perz J (2016) Culturally and linguistically diverse women’s views and experiences of accessing sexual and reproductive health care in Australia: a systematic review. Sexual Health 13, 299–310.
Culturally and linguistically diverse women’s views and experiences of accessing sexual and reproductive health care in Australia: a systematic review.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Mengesha ZB, Perz J, Dune T, Ussher J (2017) Refugee and migrant women’s engagement with sexual and reproductive health care in Australia: a socio-ecological analysis of health care professional perspectives. PLoS One 12, e0181421
Refugee and migrant women’s engagement with sexual and reproductive health care in Australia: a socio-ecological analysis of health care professional perspectives.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 28727833PubMed |

Mengesha ZB, Perz J, Dune T, Ussher J (2018) Preparedness of health care professionals for delivering sexual and reproductive health care to refugee and migrant women: a mixed methods study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 15, 174
Preparedness of health care professionals for delivering sexual and reproductive health care to refugee and migrant women: a mixed methods study.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |

Robertshaw L, Dhesi S, Jones LL (2017) Challenges and facilitators for health professionals providing primary healthcare for refugees and asylum seekers in high-income countries: a systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative research. BMJ Open 7, e015981
Challenges and facilitators for health professionals providing primary healthcare for refugees and asylum seekers in high-income countries: a systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative research.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 28780549PubMed |

Royal College of General Practitioners (2016) GP curriculum. (RCGP: London, UK) Available at https://www.rcgp.org.uk/training-exams/training/gp-curriculum-overview.aspx [Verified 10 June 2018]

Sørensen K, Van den Broucke S, Fullam J, Doyle G, Pelikan J, Slonska Z, Brand H, (HLS-EU) Consortium Health Literacy Project European (2012) Health literacy and public health: a systematic review and integration of definitions and models. BMC Public Health 12, 80
Health literacy and public health: a systematic review and integration of definitions and models.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 22276600PubMed |

Stanzel KA, Hammarberg K, Fisher J (2018) Experiences of menopause, self-management strategies for menopausal symptoms and perceptions of health care among immigrant women: a systematic review. Climacteric 21, 101–110.
Experiences of menopause, self-management strategies for menopausal symptoms and perceptions of health care among immigrant women: a systematic review.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 29345497PubMed |

Straßmayr C, Matanov A, Priebe S, Barros H, Canavan R, Diaz-Olalla JM, Gabor E (2012) Mental health care for irregular migrants in Europe: barriers and how they are overcome. BMC Public Health 12, 367
Mental health care for irregular migrants in Europe: barriers and how they are overcome.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 22607386PubMed |

Suphanchaimat R, Kantamaturapoj K, Putthasri W, Prakongsai P (2015) Challenges in the provision of healthcare services for migrants: a systematic review through providers’ lens. BMC Health Services Research 15, 390
Challenges in the provision of healthcare services for migrants: a systematic review through providers’ lens.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 26380969PubMed |

United Nations Migration Agency (2018) World Migration Report 2018. (United Nations Migration Agency: Geneva, Switzerland) Available at https://www.iom.int/wmr/world-migration-report-2018 [Verified 4 November 2019]

Wohler Y, Dantas JA (2017) Barriers accessing mental health services among culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) immigrant women in Australia: policy implications. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health 19, 697–701.
Barriers accessing mental health services among culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) immigrant women in Australia: policy implications.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 27002625PubMed |

World Bank (2019) How does the World Bank classify countries? (World Bank: Washington, DC, USA) Available at https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/378834-how-does-the-world-bank-classify-countries [Verified 18 April 2018]