Since the Iraq war began in 2003, over 4 million Iraqis have been displaced. Little is known about preventive cancer care in this population, but stark disparities have been documented. The purpose of this study was to assess the perspectives of Iraqi women refugees on preventive care and perceived barriers to breast cancer screening. Interviews were conducted in Arabic with twenty Iraqi refugee women by a bilingual (English/Arabic) medical student, transcribed, translated and coded according to established qualitative content and thematic analysis procedures. Psychosocial barriers, culturally mediated beliefs, and health consequences of war were identified as major themes, ultimately showing what factors, alone and collectively, have impeded Iraqi refugee women's ability and motivation to obtain breast cancer screening. To improve cancer prevention and decrease disparities in care in this most vulnerable population, culturally appropriate health education and outreach programs, as well as further community-level targeted studies, are needed. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011.

Arab immigrants breast cancer screening Refugees Preventive health

refugee psychological aspect Islam Massachusetts human Refugees middle aged Iraq ethnology religion qualitative research interview United States Young Adult Humans Breast Neoplasms Mammography Interviews as Topic breast tumor female cultural factor Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice Article adult Cultural Characteristics Religion and Medicine Healthcare Disparities health care disparity attitude to health