UTILIZATION AND USE OF HEALTH SERVICES BY FEMALE TURKISH MIGRANTS AND THEIR CHILDREN LIVING IN GERMANY

Introduction: Migration is a complicated social phenomenon that has a big impact on people's access to and use of health care, especially for vulnerable groups like women and children. The study was carried out to determine the factors affecting the potential use of health services and their usage by female Turkish migrants and their children living in Bielefeld, Germany. Methods: The study adopted a qualitative design, and in-depth individual interview interviews were used to collect data. Interviews were conducted with 20 female Turkish migrants who have children with food allergies between November-December 2023. The data were analyzed using the content analysis method. Results: The ages of the female Turkish migrants participating in the study ranged from 31 to 48. A total of 4 themes were determined from the codes: 1) Perceptions on health services, 2) Perceptions of health care service in Germany compared to the country of origin, 3) Healthcare utilization and comparative perceptions of health systems, and 4) Factors that facilitate access to health services and increase satisfaction and suggestions for improvement. Discussion: Mothers have both positive and negative experiences with the German healthcare system, their perceptions of the German healthcare system are influenced by their experiences in their home country, there are factors that increase their satisfaction, they encounter individual and systemic barriers in healthcare service utilization, and they made some suggestions for overcoming these barriers.