Implications of English proficiency on immigrant women's access to & utilization of health services

Having the capacity to communicate in a common language is centrally important when people access and utilize health, social, and settlement services. While a considerable portion of recent immigrant women to Canada speak English or French fluently, many others do not command either official language fluently enough to access and utilize available health care services. In this qualitative study, data were collected with service providers who work with newcomer women, with women who became fluent in English after arriving in Canada, and with women who do not currently speak English. We report on the challenges women face in acquiring proficiency in English and, through the use of a social determinants of health framework, on how limited language skills negatively influence the health of these immigrant women and their families. We also present a number of strategies that health professionals could use to better support women’s attempts to ensure their health and that of their families.