Objective: To describe reproductive health needs and screening rates for breast and cervical cancer for newly arrived (less than 90 days) refugee women in the United States. Design: A retrospective study of existing medical charts from 1996 to 2000. Setting: Refugee health screening clinic, central Texas. Patients: Refugee women (n = 283) newly arrived in the United States from Cuba (31.1%), Bosnia (26.1%), Vietnam (24.7%), and other countries (18.0%); age range = 18 to 74 years, mean age = 34.4 years. Main outcome measures: Frequency of reproductive health problems and breast and cervical cancer screening rates. Results: Twenty-five percent of women in the sample were pregnant or had a reproductive health problem. A significant percentage older than 40 (86%) had never had a mammogram when compared to American women of the same age (33%). Only 24% reported having had a Pap test within the previous 3 years. Conclusions: The risk of not receiving adequate reproductive health care is higher among newly arrived refugee women compared to nonrefugee women in the United States. For refugee women to enjoy optimum health, their individual needs and health care system issues must be addressed.

Vietnamese Reproductive Bosnian Refugee women Cuban

Vietnam maternal care breast cancer refugee public health service human Refugees middle aged statistics health service controlled study health status Bosnia and Herzegovina Aged cancer screening Cuba ethnology Health Services Needs and Demand United States Bosnia-Herzegovina Reproductive Health Services Humans Breast Neoplasms Mammography breast tumor female Viet Nam questionnaire Women's Health Services women's health Article Retrospective Studies Questionnaires adult major clinical study uterine cervix cancer Uterine Cervical Neoplasms Papanicolaou Test uterine cervix tumor Reproductive Health standard health care system retrospective study Health Services Accessibility Texas health care delivery