Breaking Barriers: Helping East African Women Get Checked for Breast Cancer

In Seattle, a big problem is that some women, especially those from East Africa, are not getting checked for breast cancer as often as they should. This is making things worse for them. Black women, in general, find out they have breast cancer later and it's more serious. But for immigrant women from places like Somalia and Ethiopia, it's even harder. They face extra challenges that stop them from getting these important check-ups. A group of researchers wanted to understand why this is happening. They talked to women from Somalia and Ethiopia who had not been checked for breast cancer in a while. They wanted to know what makes it hard for these women to get checked and what could help make it easier. They found out that many women don't get checked because they don't have easy access to healthcare, they don't speak the language well, or they have other important things to take care of. Some women also don't get checked because they don't have any symptoms or they are scared. But some women said that if their doctor told them to get checked, they would be more likely to do it. They also said that hearing stories about other people with cancer made them want to get checked.The researchers also found out that Somali women were more likely to think that getting checked would hurt. Ethiopian women, on the other hand, wanted their healthcare to be separate from their religion. They also trusted their doctors more than anyone else for information about their health. The researchers think that if healthcare systems want to help these women get checked more often, they need to make sure that the women have access to healthcare, that they can understand what's being said to them, and that they feel comfortable going to the doctor. They also think that doctors should be more involved in the community and that information about breast cancer should be shared in a way that these women can understand.