| Description |
This research project focused on family planning and reproductive health care access among Bhutanese refugees in Salt Lake City, Utah. Four questions guided this study: (1) What contraceptive methods do female Bhutanese refugees use to control fertility/space births? (2) What reproductive health care barriers do these women experience? (3) How do these women navigate their reproductive health care barriers? (4) What recommendations do these women have for improving reproductive health care access? In January 2014, one hour-long, semi-structured focus group with nine Bhutanese refugee women relocated to Salt Lake City, Utah was conducted. Following the focus group, a local OB/GYN gave a brief overview of Salt Lake City's health system and answered participants' health-related questions. The focus group was audio recorded and transcribed with the participants' consent, afterwards the transcript was analyzed for themes. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at the University of Utah. Findings exposed barriers particular to the Bhutanese refugee population living in Salt Lake City, and unforeseen reproductive health obstacles regarding fertility. Data from the focus group corroborated previous research related to linguistic and cultural barriers. Additional barriers identified in the focus group included lack of access to transportation, as well as financial and health insurance issues. Participants provided the following feasible recommendations to overcome health obstacles: hosting health fairs and establishing peer educators. The results and participant recommendations could be used to positively influence current systems, address the barriers these women face, and improve the quality of life of this population. |
