The Great Zimbabwe Cultural Society of British Columbia (ZICUSO BC) collaborated with Adler University – Vancouver Campus on research that aimed to identify which social determinants of health had the greatest impact on Black immigrants from Africa. This research was funded by the Vancouver Foundation under the Participatory Action Research Grants program.
The research question was: which social determinants of health contributed the most to the decline in the health and well-being of Black African immigrants in British Columbia (BC)?
The World Health Organization defined social determinants of health as “the non-medical factors that influence health outcomes. They are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life. These forces and systems include economic policies and systems, development agendas, social norms, social policies and political systems.”
This exploratory study focused on the deterioration of the health and well-being of Black African immigrants in BC. The motivation for the research was the ‘healthy immigrant effect’: that immigrants were healthier than the general Canadian population upon arrival, but their health and well-being declined over time in Canada (Lou & Beaujot, 2005; Vang et al., 2015). Hospitalization statistics and anecdotal (informal) evidence showed that other types of health problems were underreported due to cultural practices, gender issues, stigma, structural conditions, and the perception that the illness was minor. There was a stigma surrounding conditions such as stress, depression, mental health, and HIV, so individuals only sought medical attention when the diseases had progressed. In addition, some illnesses—such as those related to diet, sleep disorders, mental health issues, sexual health, and fertility—had cultural connotations.
Objectives
The main objectives of this study are:
- To identify which social determinants of health have the biggest negative impact on the health of African immigrants and help mitigate their effects.
- To work with African communities to identify the health challenges they are facing and improve health outcomes.
- To develop research questions for further empirical research.
Research Team
Dr. Vongai Nyamandi, Dr. Calisto Mudzingwa, and Dr. Lawrence Chidzambwa are assisted by the ZICUSO BC executive team in the research.
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