Toward Equitable Health and Health Services for Cambodian Refugee Women: An Ethnographic Analysis

This goal of this research project was to learn about Cambodian-Canadian women’s health experiences. We argue that health narratives specifically, and resettlement experiences more broadly, provide insight into this ethno-cultural group’s health literacy and health seeking behaviour, as well as the barriers they experience accessing health services. Such narratives also expose the complexities of resettlement. These complexities are personal and collective, social and political, and impact upon women’s health and the health of their families. Findings from this research support the women’s health/community development initiative of the Canadian Cambodian Association of Ontario, as well as build upon Canadian research which explores the impact of resettlement and integration on refugee health and refugee integration within local communities.