Figure - available from: Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
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Refugees encounter numerous healthcare access barriers in host countries, leading to lower utilization rates and poorer health outcomes. In the US, social inequities and fragmented health systems may exacerbate these disparities. Understanding these factors is necessary to ensure equitable care of refugee populations. A systematic literature review...
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We investigate the labour market effects of incarcerating children. Using linked administrative data to track outcomes for English schoolchildren, we estimate an econometric model of transitions between education, custody, employment and NEET (not in employment, education or training), along with earnings for those starting work. We allow outcomes...
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... A recent literature review revealed that FDIs have unique medical and social needs that require additional support in accessing healthcare policies [12]. Medical conditions commonly associated with forced displacement include developmental delay, behavioural problems, post-traumatic stress disorder, missed immunisations, and inadequate management of chronic conditions [13][14][15][16]. ...
... In addition to medical challenges, systemic barriers also pose significant hurdles [12]. These barriers include language and cultural differences, xenophobia, stigma and administrative complexities [11,[19][20][21][22][23]. ...
This study underscores the distinctive role of occupational therapy in advancing the health and wellbeing of forcibly displaced individuals (FDIs), who often encounter contextual and systemic barriers and medical complications that prevent them from engaging in daily tasks. These injustices can be mitigated through health promotion and prevention strategies that aim to enhance participation in daily life activities. There has been limited research in low- to middle-income countries (LMICs) in relation to occupational therapy services for FDIs despite most FDIs originating from LMICs. To address this gap, this study adopted Arksey and O’Malley’s framework for a scoping review to consolidate existing knowledge on the occupational therapy health promotion and prevention of disease and disability services for FDIs in LMICs. Searches were conducted on six online databases. Six studies aligned with the inclusion criteria. Findings revealed that most occupational therapy services are directed towards refugees in Jordan, which contains one of the largest refugee camps. FDIs from Africa and internally displaced people receive the least number of interventions. The occupational therapy services outlined in the six sources primarily consist of health education talks, early childhood interventions, and health promotion activities centred around various occupations such as work and sports groups. Recommendations for policy guidelines include incorporating occupational therapy services within the stipulated FDI services. Our approach aims to situate the contribution of occupational therapy health promotion and prevention of disease and disability services within the broader context of FDIs’ overall health and wellbeing.
... Refugee women are particularly vulnerable to poor health outcomes due to the extreme circumstances they endured as they ed their homeland and settled in a new country [8,9]. Resettled refugees in the U.S. face challenges with healthcare navigation, language barriers, and complicated, fragmented funding sources for healthcare [10]. For women of reproductive age, pregnancy poses certain risks to their health that can be exacerbated through the migration process [11]. ...
Background: The number of Afghan families in the U.S. has grown over the past two decades, yet there is a paucity of research focused on their healthcare experiences. Afghan families have one of the highest fertility rates in the world and typically have large families. As the U.S. faces rising maternal mortality rates, it is crucial to understand factors that affect health outcomes for culturally distinct groups. We aimed to better understand Afghan women’s experiences of giving birth in the U.S. and to identify protective and risk factors that affect Afghan women’s reproductive health.
Methods: Twenty Afghan women who had given birth in the U.S. within the past two years participated in audio-recorded interviews. The first and second authors conducted each interview using a semi-structured interview guide. The authors used a deductive, in vivo coding method to analyze the transcribed narrative data.
Results: We identified three over-arching categories with corresponding sub-categories: 1) Healthcare: pregnancy, birthing, and postpartum, 2) Culture: communication, husband, and family, 3) Access to Care: transportation, financial, and insurance. The participants expressed perspectives of gratefulness and positive experiences, yet some described stories of poor birth outcomes that led to attitudes of mistrust and disappointment. Distinct cultural preferences were shared, providing invaluable insights for healthcare providers.
Conclusions: The fact that the Afghan culture is strikingly different than the U.S. mainstream culture can lead to stereotypical assumptions, poor communication, and poor health outcomes.
The voices of Afghan women should guide healthcare providers in delivering patient-centered, culturally sensitive maternity care that promotes healthy families and communities. The women’s stories highlight risk factors, including communication barriers, discordant cultural values, lack of social/community networks, and lack of transportation/healthcare navigation. The protective factors to nurture are attitudes of gratefulness and resilience, strong husband support, commitment to breastfeeding, openness to child spacing, and desire to learn more.
... To that end, more research needs to be conducted in this regard. Relocation of existing healthcare facilities or the development of new healthcare facilities can address geographical inaccessibility [161]. The investigation of safety needs was lacking in the included publications pertaining to healthcare facilities, despite the crucial role these facilities play in shaping occupants' sense of safety. ...
Equity in the built environment refers to the extent to which the built environment meets the needs of different groups through planning, design, construction, operation, management, and regulation. Though much studied in recent years, some needs and groups have received a greater research focus than others, and significant inequities continue to exist. Following PRISMA guidelines, we systematically reviewed the distributional and recognitional aspects of inequities experienced by vulnerable groups regarding their needs while using/occupying different types of built environments. We find that more studies focus on inequities regarding residential buildings, transportation facilities, and public open spaces, whereas comparatively few studies examine water and energy infrastructure, commercial buildings, educational buildings, and healthcare facilities. More studies focus on well-being, mobility, and access needs than shelter and safety needs. Inequities experienced by minorities, people with low socioeconomic status, people with health concerns, and vulnerable age groups receive more attention than the inequities experienced by people with gender/sexual-orientation vulnerability or displaced groups. The literature exhibits a relatively narrow focus on some subgroups, such as refugees, people experiencing homelessness, people with cognitive differences, people with visual or hearing impairments, children, and women. We argue that these findings demarcate high-impact future research directions to address vulnerable groups’ needs worldwide and suggest measures to alleviate inequities in the built environment.
