Health and literacy in first- and second-generation Moroccan Berber women in the Netherlands: Ill literacy?

International Journal for Equity in Health

Mina Lhajoui¹  Marrie HJ Bekker² 

[1] Mina Lhajoui, Erasmus Medical Centre, Dept. of Public Health, Rotterdam, The Netherlands;Marrie H.J. Bekker, Tilburg University, Dept. of Clinical Health Psychology; Gender and Health; Tilburg, The Netherlands

关键词: health care;    migrants;    generation effect;    ethnicity;    health status;    illiteracy;    literacy;    Morocco;    women;   

Others  :  1147776
DOI  :  10.1186/1475-9276-3-8

 received in 2004-01-30, accepted in 2004-06-28,  发布年份 2004

【 摘 要 】

Aim

The present study was aimed at investigating the role of literacy and generation in the self-reported general health status of Moroccan Berber speaking women in the Netherlands.

Method

Fifty women in our sample (

N

= 75) were first generation women, from which group 25 were literates and 25 illiterates. Another group of 25 literate women belonged to the second generation. The three groups were matched for demographic characteristics. Questionnaires were administered reflecting all concepts under study. We hypothesized that, within the first generation, illiterates compared with literates would report worse health. Our second hypothesis was that literates of the first generation compared with those of the second generation would have a similar health condition.

Results

After controlling for age, having a job, and having an employed partner, the first generation literates compared with the illiterates of the first generation indeed reported significantly better health. Additionally, we did not find any differences in health condition between both literate groups, even after controlling for age, number of children, and marital status. Health complaints that were most frequently reported by both groups, concerned pain in shoulders, back and head.

Conclusions

Our results underline the importance of offering immigrants optimal access to opportunities and facilities that can improve their literacy and reading ability.

【 授权许可】

   
2004 Bekker and Lhajoui; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article: verbatim copying and redistribution of this article are permitted in all media for any purpose, provided this notice is preserved along with the article's original URL.

【 图 表 】

Figure 1.

Figure 2.

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