The Relationship Between Cultural Characteristics of Foreign Students and Women’s Health and Health Service Procurement Yabancı Uyruklu Öğrencilerin Kültürel Özellikleri, Kadın Sağlığı ve Sağlık Hizmeti Alımı İlişkisi

Background: It is important for foreign students to have a different language and cultural characteristics in terms of health services and women’s health. Objectives: The aim of the study is to determine the relationship between the cultural characteristics of foreign female students and the behaviors of women’s health and receiving health care services. Methods: The sample of the cross-sectional and descriptive study consisted of 62 female students from 27 countries studying at ULUTÖMER in semester 2019-2020. “Guide for Diagnosing Cultural Characteristics in Nursing Care” was used as data collection tool. Results: 93.5% of the female students with a mean age of 20.66±2.52 are single. It was determined that the traditional or medical treatment practices of these students for menstruation pain were significantly different between countries (p<.05). A positive and significant relationship was determined between students’ knowledge of the health care system and their cultural practices regarding women’s health (r=.253, p=.047). There was a moderately negative relationship between students’ communication barriers in receiving health care services and the situations that prevented them from receiving health care services due to their beliefs (r=-.317, p =.012), and a strong positive relationship between the barriers to accessing health care services (r =.480, p =.000). Conclusion: There is a positive relationship between the cultural characteristics of students and their cultural practices related to women’s health and the obstacles they experience in health care services. As the communication barrier of students in getting health care services increases, the barrier to obtaining health care services also increases