Nwakasi Candidus, Parajuli Jyotsana, Ahmed Sarah, Odo Obinna, Udeh Kingsley, Nweke Chizobam
Human Development and Family Studies, Affiliate Faculty, Africana Studies Institute, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States.
School of Nursing, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, NC, United States.
J Cancer Policy. 2025 Jun;44:100579. doi: 10.1016/j.jcpo.2025.100579. Epub 2025 Mar 29.
More research on minoritized individuals' health-seeking experiences is necessary to address disparities in cancer survivorship. To fill this critical gap in the literature, this study explored the health-seeking experiences of older Black and Latinx populations in the United States (U.S.), guided by the intersectionality framework.
Using a qualitative descriptive design, participants were recruited from the New England region of the U.S. Inclusion criteria were: a) 50 years or older, b) Black or Latinx person or both, c) a history of cancer diagnosis, and d) could speak English or Spanish. A semi-structured interview guide was used for data collection, and data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis.
A total of 17 (4 men and 13 women) cancer survivors with a mean age of 63.9 years participated in this study. Three main themes relating to health-seeking emerged from the study: 1) views about cancer as stigmatizing or not ("Because you can see how people are staying away from you"); 2) the impact of being a Black or Latinx cancer survivor ("America is a complex one that sometimes you could be neglected"); and the impact of being an immigrant ("If I had no help, why didn't I go back to my country").
Minoritized older cancer survivors may experience what we term the triple jeopardy on health seeking due to the disabling effect of cancer, race/ethnicity, and immigration status/situation.
To strengthen health-seeking and eliminate cancer health disparities, it is important to design or enhance policies that address structural inequities, including racism and xenophobia, and support community-oriented programs to reduce cancer-related stigma.
为解决癌症幸存者之间的差异问题，有必要对少数族裔人群的就医经历开展更多研究。为填补这一文献中的关键空白，本研究以交叉性框架为指导，探讨了美国老年黑人和拉丁裔人群的就医经历。
采用定性描述性设计，从美国新英格兰地区招募参与者。纳入标准为：a) 50岁及以上；b) 黑人或拉丁裔或两者皆是；c) 有癌症诊断史；d) 会说英语或西班牙语。使用半结构化访谈指南收集数据，并采用反思性主题分析法进行数据分析。
共有17名癌症幸存者（4名男性和13名女性）参与了本研究，平均年龄为63.9岁。该研究出现了与就医相关的三个主要主题：1) 对癌症是否具有污名化的看法（“因为你能看到人们是如何远离你的”）；2) 作为黑人或拉丁裔癌症幸存者的影响（“美国是一个复杂的国家，有时你可能会被忽视”）；以及作为移民的影响（“如果我得不到帮助，我为什么不回国呢”）。
少数族裔老年癌症幸存者在就医时可能会因癌症、种族/族裔和移民身份/状况的致残影响而经历我们所说的三重困境。
为加强就医并消除癌症健康差异，设计或加强解决结构性不平等问题（包括种族主义和仇外心理）的政策，并支持以社区为导向的项目以减少与癌症相关的污名，这一点很重要。
