Front Public Health. 2026 Jul 13;14:1807338. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1807338. eCollection 2026.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Health-seeking behaviors directly affect migrant adolescents’ access to healthcare, health outcomes, and social integration. The aim of this study is determine the effect of acculturation on health-seeking behaviors in adolescent migrants aged 16-18 years.
METHODS: This descriptive and correlational cross-sectional study was conducted with 272 migrant adolescents, selected using convenience sampling, who completed the Individual Identity Form, the Health-Seeking Behavior Scale (HSBS) and the Vancouver Index of Acculturation (VIA). Data were collected between April 2023-April 2024 and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 27.
RESULTS: Traditional health-seeking behavior and VIA core culture orientation had higher mean scores. mainstream culture orientation had positive and significant effect on health seeking behavior (p = 0.044).
CONCLUSION: Educated, socially secure, living mostly in cities with their nuclear families, and with income equal to expenditure, adolescent migrants scored significantly higher on the health-seeking behavior scale. These relationships revealed that cultural orientations have a significant effect on health seeking behaviors. Future studies with larger, diverse samples are recommended.
PMID:42517099 | PMC:PMC13402520 | DOI:10.3389/fpubh.2026.1807338
