Jowsey Tanisha, Gillespie James, Aspin Clive
Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute and Menzies Centre for Health Policy, Australian National University, Ian Potter House, Australian National University, ACTON 0200 ACT, Australia.
Chronic Illn. 2011 Mar;7(1):6-19. doi: 10.1177/1742395310387835. Epub 2010 Nov 15.
Ageing immigrant populations now pose problems for the management of chronic illness in Australia. This article asks questions about the experiences of immigrants in Australia with type II diabetes mellitus (DM). What impact, if any, have health policies had on the lives of immigrants? How do their experiences of living with DM compare with those of people with DM who were born in Australia?
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 32 participants who had DM (n = 25) or cared for someone with DM (n = 7). Fifteen participants had migrated to Australia and English was not their first language. Participants were asked to describe their experience of managing diabetes.
Immigrants to Australia confront linguistic and cultural barriers that create an extra layer of problems not experienced by Australian-born people. Older people who were born overseas face obstacles to effective engagement with the health system that weaken their ability to take an active part in the management of their conditions.
Chronic disease policy is failing immigrants to Australia. Health professionals and services must recognize the central role that cultural diversity plays in self-management and the impact that this can have on health outcomes for immigrants with chronic illness.
如今，澳大利亚老龄化的移民群体给慢性病管理带来了问题。本文探讨澳大利亚移民患II型糖尿病（DM）的经历。健康政策对移民的生活产生了怎样的影响（若有影响的话）？他们患DM的经历与在澳大利亚出生的DM患者相比如何？
对32名患有DM（n = 25）或照顾患有DM的人（n = 7）的参与者进行了半结构化访谈。15名参与者移民到澳大利亚，英语并非他们的第一语言。参与者被要求描述他们管理糖尿病的经历。
澳大利亚的移民面临语言和文化障碍，这给他们带来了澳大利亚出生的人未曾经历过的额外问题。在海外出生的老年人在有效参与医疗系统方面面临障碍，这削弱了他们积极参与自身病情管理的能力。
慢性病政策未能惠及澳大利亚的移民。医疗专业人员和服务机构必须认识到文化多样性在自我管理中所起的核心作用，以及这对患有慢性病的移民健康结果可能产生的影响。
