Abouhala Siwaar, Abdulle Aber, Aziz Ghada, Hussein Asma, Zanial Noor, Shalabi Itedal, Stiffler Matthew Jaber, Hawa Roula, Tariq Madiha, Ady Ghadeer, Awad Germine H, Abuelezam Nadia N
Boston College William F. Connell School of Nursing, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA.
Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2024 Dec 9. doi: 10.1007/s40615-024-02255-y.
Heightened anti-Arab/Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) xenophobia in the United States (US) coupled with the addition of a MENA category on the next US Census call into attention the health needs of this minoritized population. Targeted research is needed to better understand the factors that influence Arab/MENA American participation in US-based health research and health care.
A novel qualitative interview guide was constructed to better understand the health research experiences, health care experiences and needs of Arab/MENA patients nationally. Patients were recruited through the Arab American Health Network Alliance (AAHNA) community connections. Semi-structured interviews were conducted virtually in English and Arabic, and qualitative data was interpreted through iterative thematic analysis using inductive reasoning.
A total of seventeen interviews (n = 17) were completed (14 in English, 3 in Arabic). Notably, the majority identified as female (82%) and have resided in the US for 18 years or longer (53%). Three main themes were identified (1) Individual-level Comfortability and Access to Research Participation, (2) Advancing Community Health Outcomes and Participation, and (3) Structural Barriers as Drivers of Health Disparities.
The health research and health care experiences explored in this project have the potential of informing future inquiries on Arab/MENA American health. For instance, we suggest building community trust, providing equitable compensation and support, increasing health workforce diversity, and advocating for affordable health care, all to improve Arab/MENA patient participation in health research.
美国针对阿拉伯/中东和北非（MENA）地区人群的仇外情绪加剧，再加上美国下一次人口普查增加了MENA类别，这使得人们开始关注这一少数族裔群体的健康需求。需要有针对性的研究来更好地了解影响阿拉伯/MENA裔美国人参与美国健康研究和医疗保健的因素。
构建了一份新颖的定性访谈指南，以更好地了解全国范围内阿拉伯/MENA患者的健康研究经历、医疗保健经历和需求。通过阿拉伯裔美国人健康网络联盟（AAHNA）的社区联系招募患者。采用英语和阿拉伯语进行虚拟半结构化访谈，并运用归纳推理通过迭代主题分析对定性数据进行解读。
共完成了17次访谈（n = 17）（14次用英语，3次用阿拉伯语）。值得注意的是，大多数受访者为女性（82%），且在美国居住了18年或更长时间（53%）。确定了三个主要主题：（1）个人层面参与研究的舒适度和机会；（2）促进社区健康成果与参与；（3）作为健康差距驱动因素的结构性障碍。
本项目中探索的健康研究和医疗保健经历有可能为未来关于阿拉伯/MENA裔美国人健康的研究提供参考。例如，我们建议建立社区信任、提供公平的补偿和支持、增加卫生人力的多样性以及倡导提供负担得起的医疗保健，所有这些都是为了提高阿拉伯/MENA患者参与健康研究的程度。
