Sources of Support and Information During Disease: An Exploratory Study, Comparing Migrant and Nonmigrant Colorectal Cancer Patients in Germany

Abstract

Introduction: The prevalence of cancer diseases among migrants is lower relative to nonmigrants, although this equalizes with increasing duration of residence. There are differences in the health behaviors and disease coping strategies between these two groups. The aim of this analysis is to compare migrant and nonmigrant colorectal cancer (CRC) patients in Germany regarding their sources of support and information during disease. Method: Data from 522 CRC patients, collected through a survey about satisfaction with care, were analyzed by descriptive and multivariate statistics. Results: Migrants and nonmigrants differed in two aspects: Migrants reported to receive the most relevant support during disease more often by nonmedical people, compared with nonmigrants, and they favored videos explaining the therapeutic steps of CRC more than nonmigrants. Discussion: Anticipating which types of support and information sources patients will access during their disease may help guide future diversity management across the field of cancer care.