Health service utilization in London's African migrant communities: implications for HIV prevention

The objective of this study was to examine health service utilization in relation to HIV/AIDS prevention in Ugandan migrants living in southeast London. A cross-sectional survey was carried out, with face-to-face interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire about knowledge and use of health services, receipt of health promotion information and satisfaction with services. One-hundred-and-eighteen Ugandan migrants residing in the London boroughs of Lambeth, Southwark or Lewisham, selected using non-probability snowball techniques, completed interviews between June and December 1996. Ninety-seven per cent were registered with a local GP and 94% of people reported having been to the GP, of whom 98% had been in the past year. Sixty-nine per cent had had contact with at least one African organization. The vast majority of health promotion information was received from GP surgeries. Sixty-one per cent of respondents desired further information on HIV/AIDS, while 56% indicated that the GP surgery was the most convenient place to receive this information. A large majority of the Ugandan migrants in this study were avid users of primary care and felt it was the most convenient place to receive health promotion information. HIV prevention strategies in sub-Saharan African communities should integrate the work of African community organizations and primary care providers.