A Participatory Photonovel as a Linguistic Tool for Educating ESL-Speaking Immigrant Women About Health Information

Abstract

Issues such as the linguistic and informational barriers to health care must be addressed if immigrant women are to achieve optimum health status for themselves and their families. This study used a participatory photonovel as a tool to educate ESL-speaking immigrant women about health information. This research illustrates five ESL-speaking immigrant women’s responses to the use of a participatory photonovel as a health literacy tool. The findings reveal the women’s perspectives on the use of culturally relevant visuals and simplified English in the photonovel as being conducive to their understanding of health information.