Publications

“I try not to see a doctor unless I really have to”: Perspectives of older Chinese migrants to the ACT about long-term conditions self-management

Published: 2022

This report explores how Chinese migrants to the ACT, who are 55 or older, look after their health when they have one or more long-term condition. It reports on learning from in-depth semi-structured conversations with 21 participants, and shares findings about:

• how participants look after or “self-manage” their health
• their perceptions of barriers to self-management
• what changes they think would help them, and others in the ACT Chinese community, to look after their health when they have a long-term condition.

The findings indicate factors that influence attitudes toward, and practices of, self-management, and patterns of health service use, among older migrants from China who have one or more long-term health conditions. These factors are important to address in the design of future health promotion and health education programs, and in planning for the future delivery of health services to a multicultural ACT community.