Strategies of communicating health-related risks to vulnerable groups of immigrants during a pandemic: a scoping review of qualitative and quantitative evidence

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this rapid scoping review was to map existing literature on risk communication strategies implemented by authorities and aimed at vulnerable immigrants in the context of pandemics.Design/methodology/approachExisting literature on the topic was charted in terms of its nature and volume by summarizing evidence regarding the communication strategies. Literature searches were conducted in Academic Search Premier and CINAHL, databases were searched from 2011 to present on March 31, 2021.FindingsFive articles met the criteria and were included in this review, pointing at limited research in this area. The findings indicated that a close interaction between communication authorities and immigrants is important. Community education, building trust in communication sources, clear risk communication and inclusive decision-making among all were found to be important when communicating health risks to immigrants.Research limitations/implicationsThe primary limitation of this rapid scoping review is that the literature searches were conducted in only two databases, namely, Academic Search Premier and CINAHL. A wider search across several other databases could have given more profound results. Furthermore, some studies where immigrants were conceptualized as, for instance, “disadvantaged groups” might be overseen due to a choice of the search strategy used in this study. There are also certain limitations related to the studies included in this review.Practical implicationsIdentifying efficient ways of conveying recommendations may further assist authorities and scientists in developing more effective health-related risk communication.Originality/valueThis study covered health-related risk communication in the context of pandemics, addressing the need to investigate different groups of immigrants and the challenges related to communicating risks to these groups.

Risk Communication Distributed among Migrant Workers during the COVID-19 Crisis in Thailand: Analysis on Structural and Networking Gaps

“…In the Thai context, information from the migrant helpline could be analysed, and social platforms such as a MOPH Facebook page could segment migrant users to identify migrants’ perceptions and concerns. Thus, data to understand migrants’ perception in public health emergencies is important to guide more relevant communication strategies and evaluation processes [ 28 ].…”

A Review of Factors Influencing Business Communication Channels During Pandemic

“…Digital illiteracy could also hinder the choice of modern channels for communicating as low literacy would mean low-income or older persons and those living in rural areas with the shortage of IT facilities. This is also mentioned in the study by Koval et al (2022) that when communicating information, it is important to understand people of different cultures and their diverse linguistic backgrounds as non-verbal communication can be a more effective channel. Some other studies made the point that their options for communication channels are based on the combined factors of human touchpoints, knowledge, and perceptions.…”

How do (false) positively screened patients experience a screening programme for liver cirrhosis or fibrosis in Germany? A qualitative study

“…As a consequence, we could also not explicitly integrate the views of vulnerable groups. 36 In terms of sampling, a certain selectivity might have occurred, since patients with high psychosocial load might be not in the state to participate in a study.…”