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A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF OBSTETRIC CARE IN GREEK MIGRANT AND AUSTRALIAN‐BORN WOMEN
Author(s) -
Dunt D. R.,
Parker M. Le Moine
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1977.tb99021.x
Subject(s) - medicine , interpreter , immigration , family medicine , public health , health care , language barrier , demography , nursing , sociology , political science , law , computer science , programming language
A survey in two inner municipalities of Melbourne of Greek migrant and Australian‐born women who had been recently pregnant is described. A much higher proportion of migrants than Australian‐born women had received public obstetric hospital care and had had no contact with a general practitioner. A very much higher proportion of migrants than Australian‐born women had no voluntary health insurance (the scheme in operation at the time of the survey). Overall, migrants did not use obstetric services more often than Australian‐born women. Approximately 70% of the migrants had language difficulties in communicating with staff members. In addition, 41% of migrants expressed criticisms about the availability of interpreters, and a comparable number expressed criticism about the suitability of hospital domestic staff members as interpreters. The migrants did not regard themselves as sick more often than Australian‐born women did in the same circumstances. There were, however, certain symptoms with which the migrants would seek medical care more readily than Australian‐born women, though there were other symptoms for which the opposite was true. Traditional “folk” medical beliefs and practices were widespread among the Greek migrants. It is suggested that these may be less harmful to their health than their very low level of health knowledge.