O Fulfillment of basic needs of the RIGINAL moroccan female immigrant population in Arteixo A RTICLE SATISFAÇÃO DAS NECESSIDADES BÁSICAS NA POPULAÇAO IMIGRANTE FEMININA MARROQUINA EM ARTEIXO SATISFACCIÓN DE LAS NECESIDADES BÁSICAS EN LA POBLACIÓN INMIGRANTE FEMENINA MARROQUÍ EN ARTEIXO Amalia Conceiro Rúa1, Rosa Pita-Vizoso2, Inmaculada Gómez-Besteiro3 ABSTRACT RESUMO RESUMEN Although some years ago the Moroccan Embora a população imigrante marroquina Aunque hace unos años la población inmi- immigrant population was mostly male, the seja eminentemente masculina, atualmen- grante marroquí era en su mayor parte mas- number of women is increasing every day. te é cada dia maior o número de mulheres. culina, cada día aumenta el número de mu- This research is focused on this group, and E é neste coletivo que se concentra este jeres, colectivo del que se ocupa este traba- has the following objectives: to know how estudo, cujos objetivos são: saber como a jo. Conocer cómo afecta la emigración en la emigration affects the fulfillment of Virginia emigração afeta a satisfação das Necessi- satisfacción de las necesidades básicas de Henderson's basic needs; what transforma- dades Básicas de Virginia Henderson, que Virginia Henderson, qué transformaciones y tions and adaptations must be adopted in transformações e adaptações tem que se adaptaciones se tienen que realizar para sa- order to fulfill them; and what reinterpre- realizar para satisfazê-las, e que reinterpre- tisfacerlas y qué reinterpretaciones y estra- tations and strategies are implemented in tações e estratégias são postas em prática tegias se ponen en marcha para minimizar order to minimize the impact of culture para minimizar o impacto do choque cultu- el impacto del choque cultural. Durante un shock. A qualitative study was performed ral. Para isso se fez uma investigação quali- año 2004-2005 hemos realizado una inves- from 2004-2005 by means of semi-struc- tativa mediante entrevistas semiestrutu- tigación cualitativa mediante entrevistas se- tured interviews to 20 Muslim immigrant radas realizadas durante o período de 2004 miestructuradas a 20 mujeres musulmanas women in a municipality of Galicia (Spain), - 2005, que nos mostra que, na pessoa mu- inmigrantes en un municipio de Galicia (Es- and showed that for Muslim people, every- çulmana, toda a sua vida está dirigida pela paña). En la persona musulmana, toda su thing is regulated by religion, so the neces- religião, pelo que as necessidades afetadas vida está regulada por la religión, por lo que sities affected are strongly related with the estão estritamente relacionadas com a ne- las necesidades afectadas están estrecha- need of acting according to one's values and cessidade de atuar segundo os valores e mente relacionadas con la necesidad de ac- beliefs. Therefore, valuing the referred need crenças. Por isso, a valorização de tal ne- tuar según valores y creencias. Por ello, la provides fundamental data in order to di- cessidade aponta dados fundamentais para valoración de dicha necesidad aporta datos rect the activities towards keeping and re- orientar as atividades dirigidas a manter e fundamentales para orientar las actividades covering health. recuperar a saúde. dirigidas a mantener y recuperar la salud. KEY WORDS DESCRITORES DESCRIPTORES Health services needs and demand. Necessidades e demandas de serviços de Necesidades y demandas de servicios de Emigration and immigration. saúde. salud. Women's health. Migração internacional. Migración internacional. Qualitative research. Saúde da mulher. Salud de la mujer. Pesquisa qualitativa. Investigación cualitativa 1 Primary Health Care Nurse. Servizo Galego de Saúde. Centro de Saúde Federico Tapia. A Coruña, Spain. [email protected] 2 RN, Faculty at Escuela de Enfermería "Juán Canalejo". A Coruña, Spain. [email protected] 3 MD. Public Health Technician. Primary Health Care Management. Servicio Galego de Saúde. A Coruña, Spain. [email protected] Fulfillment of basic needsPortuguese of the moroccan/ English: Received: 05/27/2008 Rev Esc Enferm USP female immigrant populationwww.scielo.br/reeusp in Arteixo Approved: 03/20/2009 2010; 44(2):249-56 Rúa AC, Pita-Vizoso R, Gómez-Besteiro I www.ee.usp.br/reeusp/ 249 INTRODUCTION on women was that we share the approach of other au- thors who affirm that these women’s health is an impor- tant issue, not only because of its implications for these Arteixo is a city with about 28,000 inhabitants, border- women in their daily life, but also due to the projection ing on A Coruña, Spain. According to census data, the Mo- towards their family members in the new country, in the roccan immigration in this city started in 1990. Nowadays, country of origin and even for public health(6 ). 329 Moroccan immigrants are registered in Arteixo, 201 of whom are men and 128 women. There ages range from Also, we believe that the adaptation process to the he- newborns to an elderly man aged 85 years. Their origins gemonic health culture in the new country is no different are mostly rural, although some come from urban contexts. from any other adaptation processes. In both groups, a majority closely sticks to traditional forms The knowledge and values of a group reflect its own of religion, as a custom, as a form of confirming their own culture, which contains both updated traditional values and identity or as a defense mechanism towards its possible historical elements marked by the place they occupy in loss. A small group of people’s Islamism is reduced to the society(7). declaration of shahada faith: And, if we also consider culture as the set of patent There is no god but Allah, and Mohammed is his messenger(1). and latent behaviors a community develops and which Initially, this immigrant group comprised men between are implied in the needs satisfaction process, it seems im- 25 and 40 years old, including some young women respon- portant to identify variations in the way needs are satis- fied, as a first step for care delivery to the members of a sible for housework. As they got integrated and achieved (8) some economic stability, families regrouped. given community . Nowadays, genders are no longer that disproportional We selected Virginia Henderson’s model because it and the number of women who come alone is increasing. guides most public health care nurses’ work in A Coruña. This situation is similar to other countries, according to the This model proposes an analysis in which a person is unique 2006 report by the United Nations Population Fund and complex, with 14 basic needs: ·breathe, eat and drink, (UNFPA), according to which 49.6% of all immigrants were eliminate body wastes, move and maintain desirable pos- women(2); a similar proportion is found in Spain (46.99%)(3). tures, sleep and rest, select suitable clothes, maintain body temperature within normal range, keep the body clean and In most peoples, women and men live in different worlds well groomed and protect the integument, avoid dangers, as a result of differences in access to education, social rela- communicate with others, worship according to one’s faith, tions, resources, the labor world, health. Women have tra- work in such a way that there is a sense of accomplish- ditionally been marginalized, which continues to occur in ment, play or participate in various forms of recreation and their country of origin as well as in the country that wel- learn. comes them. These needs are determined by biological, psychologi- In Spain, Moroccan immigrant women tend to remain cal, socio-cultural and spiritual aspects. The way they are invisible and identify themselves in relation to their hus- satisfied depends on: age, gender, development phase, life band or father; this social invisibility, in combination with and health situation, culture, environment and different the differences in access to education in their countries experiences lived. of origin, lack of knowledge about the new country’s lan- guage and cultural distance are factors that turn them into Nurses’ singular function is to help in the satisfaction of a group living in an inferior, more dependent and vulner- these needs when these women do not have the strength, able situation. will or knowledge needed to do it by themselves, so as to help them recover independence as quickly as possible. According to Maria Teresa Losada Campos, immigration produces a great revolution in people’s surroundings; ev- OBJECTIVE erything is change: they have to reinvent daily life, learn the language, get ac- With a view to improving nursing care in this group of customed to new customs, adapt to a new distribution of women, the goal of this study was to understand, from time(4) these Moroccan women’s own perspectives, the emigra- tion process and its relation with the satisfaction of basic producing a situation of grieving, considered as a process needs: of personality reorganization after a loss(5). How does emigration affect the satisfaction of basic Due to the above, we believe that women experience needs according to Virginia Henderson’s model. greater difficulties to solve the grief emigration implies, which justifies our focus on women in this research. As What transformations and adaptations do they need health professionals, another reason that made us focus to perform in order to satisfy these needs? Rev Esc Enferm USP Fulfillment of basic needs of the moroccan 2010; 44(2):249-56 female immigrant population in Arteixo 250 www.ee.usp.br/reeusp/ Rúa AC, Pita-Vizoso R, Gómez-Besteiro I What reinterpretations and strategies do they use to others were held at their homes. On some occasions, a minimize the impact of the cultural shock? cultural mediator was needed, a young Moroccan woman who had lived in Spain longer and had good mastery of METHOD the language. The women participated voluntarily and were in- Qualitative method. The study was carried out in formed, anonymity and confidential data use were guar- Arteixo, a city in A Coruña.