“But if you don't know what my needs are, you can't help me": Health seeking experiences of older Black and Latinx cancer survivors

Background

More research on minoritized individuals’ health-seeking experiences is necessary to address disparities in cancer survivorship. To fill this critical gap in the literature, this study explored the health-seeking experiences of older Black and Latinx populations in the United States (U.S.), guided by the intersectionality framework.

Method

Using a qualitative descriptive design, participants were recruited from the New England region of the U.S. Inclusion criteria were: a) 50 years or older, b) Black or Latinx person or both, c) a history of cancer diagnosis, and d) could speak English or Spanish. A semi-structured interview guide was used for data collection, and data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Results

A total of 17 (4 men and 13 women) cancer survivors with a mean age of 63.9 years participated in this study. Three main themes relating to health-seeking emerged from the study: 1) views about cancer as stigmatizing or not (“Because you can see how people are staying away from you”); 2) the impact of being a Black or Latinx cancer survivor (“America is a complex one that sometimes you could be neglected”); and the impact of being an immigrant (“If I had no help, why didn't I go back to my country”).

Conclusion

Minoritized older cancer survivors may experience what we term the triple jeopardy on health seeking due to the disabling effect of cancer, race/ethnicity, and immigration status/situation.

Policy summary

To strengthen health-seeking and eliminate cancer health disparities, it is important to design or enhance policies that address structural inequities, including racism and xenophobia, and support community-oriented programs to reduce cancer-related stigma.