Barriers to health services perceived by Marshallese immigrants

The Marshallese immigrant population, part of a growing Asian American and Pacific Islander population in the United States, has adverse health conditions and disparities that are mainly attributed to their pre-migration health status. Little is known about the perceived and real barriers Marshallese experience in accessing and utilizing health services in the United States. Because of these barriers, their health status is known to exacerbate. This formative study used qualitative methods, using an ethnographic approach, to identify the ethnocultural and socioeconomic barriers to existing health services as perceived by immigrant Marshallese living in Northwest Arkansas. Recommendations were made to improve timely, culturally competent, and appropriate health services.