Sexual health care perspectives and practices among Haitian migrants in Chile

Sexual health has been defined as a human right and a key component of human well-being. In contexts of migration, its exercise is influenced by life trajectories, access barriers, and cultural factors that shape perceptions and care practices. In Chile, sexual health care for members of the Haitian population-a recently arrived group with a distinct language-poses communicative and cultural challenges for the provision of equitable and appropriate services. This study explores cultural beliefs and practices that shape sexual health care among Haitian migrants using a sequential mixed-methods design. It included semi-structured interviews (n = 33) and a survey (n = 251) among Haitian residents in the Metropolitan Region of the country. Survey participants were recruited by respondent driven sampling. Findings, based on both men's and women's perspectives, revealed practices such as the use of herbs and antibiotics during menstruation and postpartum rituals, rooted in traditions and beliefs about cleanliness, body self-care, economic hardship, and male approval. Tensions between biomedical and spiritual understandings of HIV were also observed. A mixed-methods approach made it possible to understand connections between the cultural, material and gender dimensions of sexual health, underscoring the need for culturally sensitive policies that recognise migrants' agency in shaping their sexual health.