Changing health beliefs and behaviors of resettled Laotian refugees: Ethnic variation in adaptation

This paper describes traditional and changing health-related beliefs and behaviors of ethnic Lao refugees now resettled in the United States and how these compare with those of other ethnic group of resettled refugees from Southeast Asia. New data are presented for Southeast Asian refugees resettled in Franklin County, Ohio, including resettlement agency utilization statistics for refugees of each local ethnic group, which reveal that Laotian refugees have the most persistent use of resettlement agency services. The results of in-depth, open ended interview with members of the Franklin County Lao community are also presented. The interview data pertain to Lao self-perceived health problems and health care options as well as their health beliefs and practices, both traditionally in Laos and as these have changed with refugee flight and resettlement. These data are compared with the results of the limited relevant health-related research on other ethnic groups of Southeast Asian refugees, revealing that Laotian refugees rely to a relatively great extent on the Western biomedical system. It is suggested that the nature of Lao refugee adaptation is due to the continuation of traditional patron-client relationships in the U.S., with Lao patrons referring their refugee clients to the services of agencies and the biomedical establishment.