1. Milkie Vu, MA Research Specialist The University of Chicago
Relationships between Religiosity and Delayed Healthcare Seeking among American Muslims
Milkie Vu, MA
Research Specialist
The University of Chicago
Tala Radejko, Alia Azmat, Sohad Murrar,
Zahra Hosseinian, Brigid Adviento, Aasim Padela

2. Background
Patient delays (the time lapse between recognizing that an illness requires medical care and deciding to act) lead to more adverse health outcomes
Poorer prognosis and longer hospitalization
Higher mortality rates
American Muslim women have lower utilization across a range of health services compared to other groups
Cancer screening
HPV vaccination
Mental health help-seeking

3. Background
Religion-related factors might impact American Muslim women’s decision to delay care seeking
Lack of female providers
Modesty
Fatalistic beliefs about health
Religious discrimination
Usage of alternative medicine and worship practices for health

4. OBJECTIVE
Quantify the prevalence of delayed care seeking among American Muslim women due to a perceived lack of female clinicians
Explore religion-related factors and socio-demographic characteristics associated with this decision

5. METHODS
CBPR approach
Partnership with the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC)
Community Advisory Board
Study population
Self-identified Muslim
Women
English-speaking
Recruited from mosques and community events
Self-administered surveys

6. Methods (CONT.) Independent variable:
Respondents indicated levels of agreement with the following statement:
“I have delayed seeking medical care when no woman doctor is available to see me.”
Dependent variables: (assessed using previously validated survey instruments)
Religiosity
Religious fatalism (RHFQ)
Perceived religious discrimination
Modesty
Alternative medicine and worship practices use
Socio-demographic characteristics (age, ethnicity, education, income, duration of living in the U.S., insurance status, PCP status)

7. RESULTS (N=254)

8. RESULTS (CONT.)
129 (53%) participants reported delayed care seeking due to a perceived lack of female clinicians
Religiosity
Participants with highest level of self-rated religiosity had higher odds of delaying care (OR=5.2, p<.01)
Modesty
Participants with higher level of modesty had higher odds of delaying care (OR=1.4, p<.001)
Socio-demographic characteristics
Participants who had lived in the United States for more than 20 years had lower odds of delaying care (OR=.22, p<.05)

9. DISCUSSION
A substantial number of Muslim women (53% of our sample) chose to delay or forgo care due to a perceived lack of female clinicians
Implications for health outcomes in this population
Women with highest level of self-rated religiosity reported higher odds of delaying seeking care
Religious guidelines for doctors of same gender
Preference for gender-segregated environments

10. DISCUSSION (CONT.)
Highly modest women have higher odds of delaying care
Perception that having a male doctor will compromise modesty
Longer duration of living in the United States is associated with lower odds of delaying care
Social and economic demands of adjustment
Longer duration of living leads to more knowledge of healthcare system and comfort with navigation

11. CONCLUSION & FUTURE DIRECTIONS
Benefits of gender-concordant care for Muslim women
Part of culturally competent care
Context of delayed care seeking
Urgent/acute, preventive, or primary care
Policy implications
More female staff in ambulatory care
Longer gowns in emergency rooms
Cultural competency training for all healthcare providers

12. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Community Partners and Advisors Grant Support
American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant (#58-004)
Cancer Center Support Grant (#P30CA14599)
Community Partners and Advisors
Ahlam Jbara (CIOGC)
Zaher Sahloul (CIOGC)
Itedal Shalabi (AAFS)
Bamade Shakoor-Abdulla (CMECCA)