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Western countries working toward eradication of female genital mutilation require better inclusion of women originally from countries where the practice is prevalent. However, few authors have examined the knowledge, attitudes, and experiences of circumcised African migrant women in western countries. Our findings from 40 responses from self-reported survey and five in-depth interviews show that the participating African migrant women know the reasons behind female genital circumcision (FGC), are living with the negative consequences of FGC, and have a zero tolerance attitude toward the practice. Circumcised women are in the best position to define their health needs and champion global efforts to eradicate FGC.

Female genital mutilation (FGM) or female circumcision is a global health issue with increasing international migration of affected women and girls to countries unfamiliar with the practice. Western health care providers are unfamiliar with FGM, and managing obstetric care presents challenges to midwives who are in the forefront of care provision for the women. The participants in this Heideggerian qualitative interpretive study elucidated the strategies they used in overcoming the particular physical, emotional, and gynecological health issues with which mutilated women present. Ongoing emphases on women-centered, culturally competent maternity care are germane to optimal maternity care of circumcised women.

Background: The Breast Cancer Screening Beliefs Questionnaire (BCSBQ) has been designed as a culturally appropriate instrument for assessing women's beliefs, knowledge and attitudes to breast cancer and breast cancer screening practices. While it has proved to be a reliable instrument when applied to women of Chinese, Arabic and Korean origin living in Australia, its psychometric properties among women from African backgrounds have not been tested. The aim of this study is to examine the psychometric properties of the BCSBQ among African Australian women., Methods: The BCSBQ was administered to 284 African Australian women who were recruited from a number of African community organizations and churches. Factor analysis was conducted to study the factor structure. Construct validity was examined using Cuzick's non-parametric test while Cronbach alpha was used to assess internal consistency reliability., Results: Exploratory factor analysis results demonstrated that the African-Australian BCSBQ can be conceptualized as a 4-factor model. The third factor, viz. "barriers to mammography", was split into two separate factors namely, "psychological" and "practical" barriers. The results indicated that the African-Australian BCSBQ had both satisfactory validity and internal consistency. The Cronbach's alpha of the three subscales ranged between 0.84-0.92. The frequency of breast cancer screening practices (breast awareness, clinical breast-examination and mammography) were significantly associated with attitudes towards general health check-ups and perceived barriers to mammographic screening., Conclusions: Our study provided evidence to support the psychometric properties of the BCSBQ.in African Australian women. The study moreover demonstrated that the use of the instrument can help health professionals to understand the beliefs, knowledge and attitudes to breast cancer among African Australian women and also the factors that impact on their breast cancer screening practices.

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a women's health and human rights issue attracting global interest. My purpose in this qualitative study was to report the knowledge and attitudes of Australian midwives toward FGM. Verbatim transcription and thematic analysis of semistructured interviews with 11 midwives resulted in these themes: knowledge of female genital mutilation and attitude toward female genital mutilation. Significant gaps in knowledge about FGM featured prominently. The midwives expressed anger toward FGM and empathy for affected women. Recommendations include increased information on FGM and associated legislation among midwives and other health providers in countries where FGM may be encountered.

Aims and Objectives: To explore West African migrant women's knowledge, attitude and usage of cancer screening in Australia., Background: Despite strong evidence that cancer screening saves lives through early detection and treatment, there is lack of empirical studies on West African migrant women's knowledge, attitude and usage of cancer screening in Australia., Design: Qualitative naturalistic inquiry., Methods: Twenty-one West African migrant women who consented to participate in the study were recruited through a snowballing technique. These women were engaged in face-to-face audiotaped in-depth interviews which lasted for about 90 minutes. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed., Results: The following three themes emerged from the data: knowledge of cancer screening, attitude towards cancer screening and usage of cancer screening Irrespective of the women's place of birth in Africa, twenty of the participants had no knowledge of cancer screening prior to migration, and most had a negative attitude towards screening. Women who had given birth after migrating to Australia were more likely to have had cervical cancer screening. Women who had passed their child-bearing years or had not presented to healthcare facilities for medical issues were more likely to be unaware of cancer screening., Conclusions: Improved health promotion strategies that provide accessible information and education to West African migrant women regarding cancer screening are required to enhance the uptake of such screening in this migrant group., Relevance to Clinical Practice: Nurses who encounter West African migrant women in their day-to-day practice have the opportunity to provide this group with education related to the importance of cancer screening., (© 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.)

Unlabelled: Settling in a new country exposes immigrants to various health risk factors, and the existing literature alludes to immigrant women being more vulnerable than men. This article highlights some of the difficulties faced by West African women while settling into life in Australia. A qualitative, Design: beginning again and experiencing loneliness and isolation. Participants encountered difficulties in developing social networks and obtaining employment, and as a result, they felt lonely and isolated. Therefore, nurses and health care professionals need to incorporate screening for precursors of emotional and social well-being issues when caring for this population.