Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/10271
Title: Discussions on oral health care among elderly Chinese immigrants in Melbourne and Vancouver
Contributor(s): MacEntee, Michael I (author); Marino, Rodrigo (author); Wong, Sabrina (author); Kiyak, Asuman (author); Minichiello, Victor  (author); Chi, Iris (author); Lo, Edward CM (author); Huancai, Lin (author)
Publication Date: 2012
Open Access: Yes
DOI: 10.1111/j.1741-2358.2011.00568.xOpen Access Link
Handle Link: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/10271
Abstract: Background:  This study explored how elderly Chinese immigrants value and relate to how acculturation influences oral health and subsequent service use. Methods:  Elders who had immigrated to Melbourne and Vancouver within the previous 15 years were recruited from local community centres and assigned to focus groups of 5-7 participants in Vancouver (4 groups) or Melbourne (5 groups). Results:  Following an iterative process of thematic analysis, the discussions revealed that immigrants care about the comfort and appearance of their teeth, and they value Western dentistry as a supplement to traditional remedies, but they have difficulty getting culturally sensitive information about oral health care. Accessing dentistry, they explained, is distressing because of language problems and financial costs that impose on their children. Consequently, many immigrants obtain dental treatment in China when they return for occasional visits. They felt that separation of dentistry from national health care programmes in Canada and Australia disregards natural links between oral health and general health. Conclusions:  The similarity of concerns in both cities suggests that dissemination of information and availability of services are the important themes influencing oral health, and that, beliefs developed over a lifetime play an important role in interpreting oral health in the host country.
Publication Type: Journal Article
Source of Publication: Gerodontology, 29(2), p. e822-e832
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc
Place of Publication: United States of America
ISSN: 0734-0664
1741-2358
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: 111799 Public Health and Health Services not elsewhere classified
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: 420399 Health services and systems not elsewhere classified
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: 920499 Public Health (excl. Specific Population Health) not elsewhere classified
920402 Dental Health
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: 200402 Dental health
Peer Reviewed: Yes
HERDC Category Description: C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal
Appears in Collections:Journal Article

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