COVID-19: Access to Information, Level of Trust and Adherence to Health Advice Among Migrants in Norway

Madar, Ahmed A.; Benavente, Pierina; Czapka, Elżbieta; Herrero‐Arias, Raquel; Haj-Younes, Jasmin; Hasha, Wegdan Hasha Wegdan; Deeb, George; Møen, Kathy Ainul Mashrooka; Ortiz-Barreda, Gaby; Díaz, Esperanza

doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-237066/v1

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 13 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…1 Steps to vaccine uptake at the time of the survey in Oslo account the population's social determinants of health, resulting in five abilities needed by individuals and populations to be able to use the health care system: to perceive, to seek, to reach, to pay, and to engage in healthcare. Several studies have reported lower vaccination rates among migrants, and most authors have tried to understand the reasons why migrants and ethnic minorities do not get vaccinated in terms of misinformation, vaccine hesitancy, discrimination or medical mistrust [7,[14][15][16][17][18][19]. Although all these factors contribute to lower vaccination rates, they do not cover one of the necessary steps for a person to get vaccinated: the perception, this is to say the receipt and identification, of an offer.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disparities in the offer of COVID-19 vaccination to migrants and non-migrants in Norway: a cross sectional survey study

Díaz

Dimka²,

Mamelund³

2022

BMC Public Health

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Vaccination is key to reducing the spread and impacts of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. Migrants, compared to majority populations, tend to have lower vaccination rates, as well as higher infection disease burdens. Previous studies have tried to understand these disparities based on factors such as misinformation, vaccine hesitancy or medical mistrust. However, the necessary precondition of receiving, or recognizing receipt, of an offer to get a vaccine must also be considered. Methods We conducted a web-based survey in six parishes in Oslo that have a high proportion of migrant residents and were hard-hit during the COVID-19 pandemic. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to investigate differences in reporting being offered the COVID-19 vaccine based on migrant status. Different models controlling for vaccination prioritization variables (age, underlying health conditions, and health-related jobs), socioeconomic and demographic variables, and variables specific to migrant status (language spoken at home and years lived in Norway) were conducted. Results Responses from 5,442 participants (response rate of 9.1%) were included in analyses. The sample included 1,284 (23.6%) migrants. Fewer migrants than non-migrants reported receiving a vaccine offer (68.1% vs. 81.1%), and this difference was significant after controlling for prioritization variables (OR 0.65, 95% CI: 0.52–0.82). Subsequent models showed higher odds ratios for reporting having been offered the vaccine for females, and lower odds ratios for those with university education. There were few to no significant differences based on language spoken at home, or among birth countries compared to each other. Duration of residence emerged as an important explanatory variable, as migrants who had lived in Norway for fewer than 15 years were less likely to report offer of a vaccine. Conclusion Results were consistent with studies that show disparities between non-migrants and migrants in actual vaccine uptake. While differences in receiving an offer cannot fully explain disparities in vaccination rates, our analyses suggest that receiving, or recognizing and understanding, an offer does play a role. Issues related to duration of residence, such as inclusion in population and health registries and health and digital literacy, should be addressed by policymakers and health services organizers.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disparities in the offer of COVID-19 vaccination to migrants and non-migrants in Norway: a cross sectional survey study

Díaz

Dimka²,

Mamelund³

2022

BMC Public Health

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Additionally, poor housing conditions and less physical distancing were attributable to high prevalence of COVID-19 in these workers. 18,19 A study conducted in Norway found that migrants living there experience a higher burden of COVID-19 infections and hospitalization compared to non-immigrants. However, immigrants in the study showed a high level of adherence to most of the health preventive measures for COVID-19.…”

Section: The Impact Of the Covid-19 Pandemic On Immigrantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, immigrants in the study showed a high level of adherence to most of the health preventive measures for COVID-19. 18 Provision of healthcare Accessibility and affordability of healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic are extremely crucial. 20,21 An early diagnosis and monitoring of patients with COVID-19 play a critical role in the eventual outcome for the patient and further transmission of the disease in the rest of the community.…”

Section: The Impact Of the Covid-19 Pandemic On Immigrantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Immigrants, health, and the impact of COVID-19: A narrative review

Angawi

2023

F1000Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

While the COVID-19 pandemic has gravely challenged health systems globally, countries that host a large number of refugees are finding themselves even more burdened as providing preventive and curative services to refugees has proved to be a challenging task. The aim of this narrative review is to discuss the impact COVID-19 pandemic on immigrants, and seek to understand how COVID-19 affects provision of health services, access to health care and the socioeconomic situation. Like any other health challenge, COVID-19 has also left migrants susceptible to adverse outcomes, both directly and indirectly. Several factors limit their ability to avoid infections, access healthcare, and cope with socio-psychological impacts. In addition, undocumented immigrants or people living on short-term visit visas do not have full access to healthcare services in most countries. It is evident that COVID-19 has also influenced these workers leaving them jobless or receiving low wages or no pay, hence, this has hugely impacted the remittance and economic situation in their country. Extending access to healthcare to the entire immigrant population, irrespective of their legal status, is the cornerstone of an effective response to counter the COVID-19 pandemic.

show abstract

“…A lack of information and cultural differences are often cited as the main causes of the disproportionate disease burden among migrants [ 6 ]. However, despite targeted information campaigns during the pandemic, many migrant groups in Norway reported that the recommended measures did not specifically address their everyday life challenges [ 7 ]. The fact that the migrant groups hardest hit in the first phase of the pandemic, defined from the start of restrictive measures until the beginning of a gradual opening of society in May 2020, also featured at the top of the pandemic statistics in the second and third waves [ 8 ] indicates that mechanisms other than health knowledge are important.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although there are no COVID-19 statistics for undocumented migrants, the prevailing high burden of COVID-19 disease among labour migrants makes it reasonable to believe that health-care services are not in line with the legal requirements of non-discrimination. Moreover, in Norway, the migrant background of persons is not registered systematically in health registers or in electronic medical records [ 4 ], despite this being recommended by national and international experts [ 6 , 7 ]. This is due to data protection law and privacy considerations.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning from the COVID-19 pandemic among migrants: An innovative, system-level, interdisciplinary approach is needed to improve public health

Díaz

Mamelund²,

Eid

et al. 2021

Scand J Public Health

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are amplified among socially vulnerable groups, including international migrants, in terms of both disease transmission and outcomes and the consequences of mitigation measures. Migrants are overrepresented in COVID-19 laboratory-confirmed cases, hospital admissions, intensive care treatment and death statistics in all countries with available data. A syndemic approach has been suggested to understand the excess burden in vulnerable populations. However, this has not stopped the unequal burden of disease in Norway. Initially, the disease was mainly imported by Norwegians returning from skiing holidays in the Alps, and the prevalence of infection among migrants in Norway, defined as people born abroad to foreign parents, was low. Later, confirmed cases in migrants increased and have remained stable at 35–50% – more than twice the proportion of the migrant population (15%). To change this pattern, we need to understand the complex mechanisms underlying inequities in health and their relative and multiplying impacts on disease inequalities and to test the effect of counterfactual policies in order to reduce inequalities in disease burden. Yet, the current paradigm in the field of migration and health research, that is, the theories, research methods and explanatory models commonly applied, fail to fully understand the differences in health outcomes between international migrants and the host population. Here, we use the Norwegian situation as a case to explain the need for an innovative, system-level, interdisciplinary approach at a global level.

show abstract

COVID-19: Access to Information, Level of Trust and Adherence to Health Advice Among Migrants in Norway

Cited by 4 publications

References 13 publications

Disparities in the offer of COVID-19 vaccination to migrants and non-migrants in Norway: a cross sectional survey study

Disparities in the offer of COVID-19 vaccination to migrants and non-migrants in Norway: a cross sectional survey study

Immigrants, health, and the impact of COVID-19: A narrative review

Learning from the COVID-19 pandemic among migrants: An innovative, system-level, interdisciplinary approach is needed to improve public health

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About