Experiences of Ethnic Minority Patients Who Are Living with a Primary Bowel Condition or Bowel-Related Symptoms of Other Chronic Diseases: A Systematic Review

Abstract Background: Prevalence of chronic gastrointestinal diseases has been rising amongst ethnic minority populations in Western countries, despite the first-generation migrants originating from countries of low prevalence. Differences caused by genetic, environmental, cultural, and religious factors in each context may contribute towards shaping experiences of ethnic minority individuals living with primary bowel conditions. This review aimed to explore the experiences of ethnic minority patients’ living with chronic bowel illnesses and bowel-related symptoms of other chronic diseases. Methods: We systematically searched for qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods studies on eight electronic databases and manually searched reference lists of frequently cited papers. Fifteen papers met the inclusion criteria: focussing on inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, coeliac disease and prostate cancer survivors experiencing bowel symptoms. Results: Core themes were narratively analysed. South Asians had limited understanding of their illness and language and literacy barriers, particularly older generations, suggesting a need for culturally relevant inflammatory bowel disease and coeliac disease information. Family support was limited, and Muslim South Asians referred to religion to understand and self-manage inflammatory bowel disease. Ethnic minority groups across countries experienced poor dietary intake for coeliac disease and inflammatory bowel disease, cultural conflict in self-managing diet for inflammatory bowel disease, increased anxiety, and the need for better quality of, and access to, healthcare services. UK ethnic minorities had problems with IBD diagnosis/misdiagnosis. Self-efficacy positively impacted bowel symptoms in prostate cancer survivors. Conclusions: Cultural, religious, and social contexts, together with language barriers and limited health literacy influenced experiences of health inequalities for ethnic minorities with chronic bowel diseases.