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Abstract

This qualitative study examines African immigrant women’s access to maternal health information (MHI), resources, and services in the United States (U.S.), the barriers and challenges they encounter when accessing and utilizing these resources, and strategies for overcoming these challenges. The study explored how African immigrant women access and share MHI, the degree of agency they exhibit in accessing maternal care, and how their participation in the study’s focus group discussions (FGDs) shaped their perceived competence and advocacy regarding maternal healthcare in the United States. Fourteen African women currently living in the United States participated in FGDs. Through these FGDs, the participants were given the valuable opportunity to share their own experiences and voice their concerns, while receiving guidance and MHI which best prepares them to advocate for themselves, exercise agency in seeking maternal care, and become active disseminators of accurate and credible MHI within their communities.

Journal Title

Iowa Journal of Communication

Volume

58

Issue

1

First Page

234

Last Page

260

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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