A Study on the Health-Related Issues and Behavior of Vietnamese Migrants Living in Japan: Developing Risk Communication in the Tuberculosis Response

Abstract

Ensuring a healthy lifestyle for the increasing number of Vietnamese migrants living in Japan is a key public health issue, including infectious disease responses such as tuberculosis (TB). To develop risk communication in relation to the TB response, this study aimed to explore the health issues and health-related behaviors of Vietnamese migrants living in Japan using a mixed method. A survey was conducted on Vietnam-born migrants, aged 18 years and over, in Tokyo. The survey consisted of questions on the following components: (1) demographics; (2) health-related issues and behavior; and (3) health-seeking behavior, information, and communication. A total 165 participants participated in the survey. The majority of the participants were young adults. 13% of the participants responded that they were concerned about their health. Moreover, 22% and 7% of the participants reported weight loss and respiratory symptoms, respectively. 44% of the participants answered they had no one to consult about their health in Japan when they needed it, and 58% answered they had no awareness of any Vietnamese-language health consultation services. Logistic regression analysis revealed that people who contact family members living in Vietnam or overseas using social networking services (SNSs) when they needed to consult someone about their health (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 6.09, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.52–24.43) were more likely to present with one or more of the typical TB symptoms, compared to those who did not consult someone in this manner. Current smokers (OR = 3.08, 95% CI 1.15–8.23) were more likely to have health problems compared to non-smokers. The key informant interviews revealed that individual factors, the health system, and socio-environmental factors may hinder Vietnamese migrants’ health-seeking and health-information-seeking behaviors in Japan. TB risk communication approaches for migrants need to be developed considering their health-related behaviors while addressing their health needs.