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Background: Inequalities in immigrants' oral health are often masked in population-level data. Therefore, this paper was planned to assess the prevalence data on oral health diseases, namely dental caries, and periodontitis, among immigrants worldwide. Methods: Following a systematic search in Scopus, Embase, and PubMed for studies published between 2011 and 2023, 1342 records were identified. Following title and abstract screening, 76 studies remained for full-text eligibility-screening based on predefined inclusion criteria. Thirty-two studies were included in the review. Results: Dental caries figures were higher in immigrant populations compared to the local population, regardless of host countries, age, gender, or nationality. In children, the overall mean and standard deviation (SD) for decayed, missing, and filled teeth in the primary dentition (d3mft) was 3.63(2.47), and for D3MFT (permanent dentition), it was 1.7(1.2). Upon comparing overall mean caries counts in children and adults with their control groups in the included studies, untreated dental caries (D3T and d3t) constituted the dominant share of caries experience (D3MFT and d3mft) in immigrant children. For the local population, the highest proportion of caries experience was attributed to filled teeth (FT and ft). Dentin caries prevalence among immigrants ranged from 22% to 88.7% in the primary dentition and 5.6% to 90.9% in the permanent dentition. Gingivitis ranged from 5.1% to 100%. Oral health varied greatly between studies. Regarding oral health accessibility, 52% to 88% of immigrant children had never been to a dentist, suggesting a very limited level of accessibility to dental health services. Conclusion: It is imperative to develop interventions and policies that have been customized to address the oral health disparities experienced by immigrant populations. Additionally, host countries should actively implement measures aimed at enhancing the accessibility of oral health care services for these individuals. The utilization of available data is crucial in establishing a hierarchy of objectives aimed at enhancing the oral health of immigrant populations. Trial registration: The Scoping review protocol was registered at OSF Registries with registration number (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/MYXS4). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the author reflects on the paper "Striving against adversity: the dynamics of migration, health and poverty in rural South Africa," by Mark A. Collinson. He relates the aspect of rural-to-urban migration as the most important demographic phenomenon across the developing world. He stresses that Collinson's paper highlights the important issue of what happens to those family members left behind when an adult family member migrates to the city for employment.

Introduction Malaysia's economic development increases the demand for immigrant workers to ensure health equality. To achieve Universal Health Coverage, issues related to immigrants need to be revisited. Methods A narrative review was conducted on specific scopes of health access barriers among immigrants from Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Results Immigrants face health inequalities due to complex immigration policies, cultural and social adaptation differences, language barriers, financial constraints, and low literacy awareness of healthcare systems. Conclusions This brief essay highlights challenges for immigrants adhering to Malaysia’s Health White Paper strategies in meeting Universal Health Coverage. Expanding these strategies is vital to uphold immigrants’ fundamental rights and ensure health equality among the minority group of the population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this paper is to share the results of a scoping review that examined the relationship between health care disparities and the multiplicity of vulnerability factors that are often clustered together. Methods: The conceptual framework used was an innovative dynamic model that we developed to analyze the co-existence of multiple vulnerability factors (multi-vulnerability) related to the phenomenon of the 'Inverse Care Law'. A total of 759 candidate references were identified through a literature search, of which 23 publications were deemed relevant to our scoping review. Results: The review confirmed our hypothesis of a direct correlation between co-existing vulnerability factors and health care disparities. Several gaps in the literature were identified, such as a lack of research on vulnerable populations' perception of their own vulnerability and on multimorbidity and immigrant status as aspects of vulnerability. Conclusions: Future research addressing the revealed gaps would help foster primary care interventions that are responsive to the needs of vulnerable people and, eventually, contribute to the reduction of health care disparities in society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Etnográfica: Revista do Centro de Estudos de Antropologia Social is the property of Centro em Rede de Investigacao em Antropologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Horizons of Politics / Horyzonty Polityki is the property of Jesuit University Ignatianum in Krakow and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Migrant populations from countries with generalised HIV epidemics make up a significant proportion of all HIV/AIDS cases in many European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries, with heterosexual transmission the predominant mode of HIV acquisition. While most of these infections are diagnosed for the first time in Europe, acquisition is believed to have predominantly occurred in the home country. A proportion of HIV transmission is believed to be occurring post-migration, and many countries may underestimate the degree to which this is occurring. Our objectives were to review the literature estimating the proportion of migrants believed to have acquired their HIV post-migration and examine which EU member states are able to provide estimates of probable country of HIV acquisition through current surveillance systems. Methods: A systematic review was undertaken to gather evidence of sexual transmission of HIV within Europe among populations from countries with a generalised epidemic. In addition, national surveillance focal points from 30 EU/EEA Member States were asked to complete a questionnaire about surveillance methods and monitoring of the likely place of HIV acquisition among migrants. Results & discussion: Twenty-seven papers from seven countries were included in the review and 24 countries responded to the survey. Estimates of HIV acquisition post-migration ranged from as low as 2 % among sub Saharan Africans in Switzerland, to 62 % among black Caribbean men who have sex with men (MSM) in the UK. Surveillance methods for monitoring post-migration acquisition varied across the region; a range of methods are used to estimate country or region of HIV acquisition, including behavioural and clinical markers. There is little published evidence addressing this issue, although Member States highlight the importance of migrant populations in their epidemics. Conclusions: There is post-migration HIV acquisition among migrants in European countries but this is difficult to quantify accurately with current data. Migrant MSM appear at particular risk of HIV acquisition post-migration. Countries that identify migrants as an important part of their HIV epidemic should focus on using an objective method for assigning probable country of HIV acquisition. Robust methods to measure HIV incidence should be considered in order to inform national prevention programming and resource allocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Prenatal vitamin D deficiency is a common health concern among immigrants. No previous studies have examined the associations between prenatal vitamin D levels and developmental disorders of language, scholastic skills, and coordination in an immigrant sample. Methods: The sample included 542 immigrant mothers of cases with language, scholastic, coordination or mixed developmental disorders, 443 immigrant mothers of controls without these disorders and 542 Finnish mothers of controls. Maternal vitamin D was measured in serum samples collected during early pregnancy and stored in a national biobank. Results: The mean vitamin D levels during pregnancy were 25.0 (SD 14.4) nmol/L for immigrant mothers of cases, 25.4 (SD 15.5) for immigrant mothers of controls and 42.3 (SD 19.1) for Finnish mothers of controls. Low maternal vitamin D levels during pregnancy were not associated with the selected developmental disorders in offspring when immigrant mothers of cases were compared to immigrant mothers of controls (adjusted OR for continuous log-transformed vitamin D: 1.01, 95% CI 0.75–1.36, p = 0.96). When immigrant mothers of cases were compared to Finnish mothers of controls, the adjusted OR for continuous vitamin D was 18.94 (95% CI 11.47–31.25), p <0.001). The results were similar when vitamin D was examined as a categorical variable or divided into quintiles. Conclusions: Prenatal vitamin D levels were low, and similar, among immigrant mothers of cases with selected developmental disorders and unaffected controls. This indicates that vitamin D unlikely mediates previously observed associations between maternal immigrant status and the selected developmental disorders in offspring. The proportion of immigrant mothers with severe vitamin D deficiency was very high, which underlines the importance of prenatal counselling and overall public health efforts to improve immigrant health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Cultural changes faced by immigrants and ethnic minorities after moving to a host country may have a detrimental or beneficial influence on their oral health and oral health-related behaviors. Therefore, this paper reviews the literature to see the impact of acculturation on immigrants and ethnic minorities’ oral health outcomes. Methods: We searched seven electronic databases up to January 2018. All cross-sectional and longitudinal quantitative studies that examined associations between acculturation and oral health status and/or oral health behaviors among ethnic minority and immigrant population[s] were included. Study selection, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment were completed in duplicate. The Newcastle-Ottawa checklist was used to appraise the methodological quality of the quantitative studies. A meta-analytic approach was not feasible. Results: A total of 42 quantitative studies were identified. The studies showed a positive association between acculturation and oral health status/behaviors. The most frequently used acculturation indicators were language spoken by immigrant and ethnic minorities and length of stay at the host country. High-acculturated immigrant and ethnic minority groups demonstrated better oral health outcomes, oral health behaviors, dental care utilization, and dental knowledge. Conclusions: According to existing evidence, a positive effect of acculturation on oral health status and behaviors was found. Practical implications: Dental practitioners should be culturally competent to provide the appropriate services and treatments to immigrant and ethnic minorities. Policymakers should also be sensitive to cultural diversities and properly address the unique needs of each group in order to maintain oral health equity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The main aim of this paper is to see to what extent mortality patterns between migrants living in the Netherlands converge. This might be an indicator of health and health care acculturation.Methods: This is an observational study on the basis of standard mortality registration data collected between 1996 and 2007. Eight ethnic groups living in Amsterdam are examined to see if mortality converges or diverges over time. Trends in mortality are studied using Poisson regression. The life expectancy between groups is compared for three time periods.Results: The data showed that for males and females the life expectancy and death rates improved between 1996-1999 and 2004-2007. Most ethnic groups, both males and females, followed this positive trend. For most indicators the ethnic groups converged in terms of mortality. The data also shows the healthy migrant effect with those in Amsterdam from Dutch origin having a relatively high mortality and low life expectancy.Discussion: In this paper the "healthy migrant effect" can be clearly observed. An important cause is the emigration of the original and relatively affluent and healthy Dutch population to suburban areas. Mortality trends tend to converge between ethnic groups during the period 1997-2000 and 2004-2007. The data presented here shows further that trends in mortality and life expectancy which apply to all ethnic groups are much more powerful as this convergence. One wonders if bridging the mortality gap between groups is of much benefit for minority groups, or that minority groups would benefit more from an overall decrease in mortality.Conclusion: Mortality trends that apply to all groups tend to be much stronger compared with trends for individual groups. This shows that dynamics affecting all groups similarly have a considerably stronger effect on mortality outcomes in various ethnic groups compared with possible convergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND The fertility of immigrants and their descendants is a crucial determinant of population dynamics, particularly where migrants are numerous and ethnically diverse, as in Switzerland. This paper analyses the transition to the first and second births of immigrants and their descendants and compares them with each other and with the native population. METHODS Using survival analysis and drawing on data from the Family and Generation Survey (FGS-2013), we disaggregate the fertility indicators of intensity and timing by ethnic minority and by birth order, controlling for a variety of sociodemographic characteristics. RESULTS Our results show that while there is no substantive difference in the probability and timing of first births between immigrants, their descendants, and Swiss natives, firstgeneration immigrants become parents younger and more often. Quite unexpectedly, we found that for migrants a second child is less frequent and comes after a longer birth interval than for Swiss natives, independently of whether or not they are born in Switzerland. CONCLUSIONS AND CONTRIBUTIONS This pattern of a delayed second birth for immigrants and their descendants differs from those observed in other European countries (Kulu et al. 2017). Our paper contributes to the literature by examining the heterogeneous fertility trajectories of different groups of migrants and their children. Our results by ethnic group and generation document fertility distribution in a highly diversified migration context, where new migrant groups are joining more established groups and where integration and family policies are weak, compared with the rest of Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is increasing attention paid to the arrival of migrants from outwith the EU region to the European countries. Healthcare that is universally and equably accessible needs to be provided for these migrants throughout the range of national contexts and in response to complex and evolving individual needs. It is important to look at the evidence available on provision and access to healthcare for migrants to identify barriers to accessing healthcare and better plan necessary changes.Methods: This review scoped 77 papers from nine European countries (Austria, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, Spain, and Sweden) in English and in country-specific languages in order to provide an overview of migrants' access to healthcare. The review aims at identifying what is known about access to healthcare as well as healthcare use of migrants and refugees in the EU member states. The evidence included documents from 2011 onwards.Results: The literature reviewed confirms that despite the aspiration to ensure equality of access to healthcare, there is evidence of persistent inequalities between migrants and non-migrants in access to healthcare services. The evidence shows unmet healthcare needs, especially when it comes to mental and dental health as well as the existence of legal barriers in accessing healthcare. Language and communication barriers, overuse of emergency services and underuse of primary healthcare services as well as discrimination are described.Conclusions: The European situation concerning migrants' and refugees' health status and access to healthcare is heterogeneous and it is difficult to compare and draw any firm conclusions due to the scant evidence. Different diseases are prioritised by different countries, although these priorities do not always correspond to the expressed needs or priorities of the migrants. Mental healthcare, preventive care (immunization) and long-term care in the presence of a growing migrant older population are identified as priorities that deserve greater attention. There is a need to improve the existing data on migrants' health status, needs and access to healthcare to be able to tailor care to the needs of migrants. To conduct research that highlights migrants' own views on their health and barriers to access to healthcare is key. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we examine how the stresses associated with the transition to a new country combined with additional stress arising from a period of unemployment affect the mental health of immigrants. Australian immigrants are found to have poorer mental health at 6 months after arrival in Australia compared with 18 and 42 months. Furthermore, unemployment, and especially a long duration of unemployment, is found to be associated with poor mental health. We found that although immigrant women appear unaffected by their spouses’ labour force status, there is evidence that immigrant men's mental health is affected by spouse labour force status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: First generation migrants are reportedly at higher risk of mental ill-health compared to the settled population. This paper systematically reviews and synthesizes all reviews on the mental health of first generation migrants in order to appraise the risk factors for, and explain differences in, the mental health of this population.Methods: Scientific databases were searched for systematic reviews (inception-November 2015) which provided quantitative data on the mental ill-health of first generation migrants and associated risk factors. Two reviewers screened titles, abstracts and full text papers for their suitability against pre-specified criteria, methodological quality was assessed.Results: One thousand eight hundred twenty articles were identified, eight met inclusion criteria, which were all moderate or low quality. Depression was mostly higher in first generation migrants in general, and in refugees/asylum seekers when analysed separately. However, for both groups there was wide variation in prevalence rates, from 5 to 44 % compared with prevalence rates of 8-12 % in the general population. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder prevalence was higher for both first generation migrants in general and for refugees/asylum seekers compared with the settled majority. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder prevalence in first generation migrants in general and refugees/ asylum seekers ranged from 9 to 36 % compared with reported prevalence rates of 1-2 % in the general population. Few studies presented anxiety prevalence rates in first generation migrants and there was wide variation in those that did. Prevalence ranged from 4 to 40 % compared with reported prevalence of 5 % in the general population. Two reviews assessed the psychotic disorder risk, reporting this was two to three times more likely in adult first generation migrants. However, one review on the risk of schizophrenia in refugees reported similar prevalence rates (2 %) to estimates of prevalence among the settled majority (3 %). Risk factors for mental ill-health included low Gross National Product in the host country, downward social mobility, country of origin, and host country.Conclusion: First generation migrants may be at increased risk of mental illness and public health policy must account for this and influencing factors. High quality research in the area is urgently needed as is the use of culturally specific validated measurement tools for assessing migrant mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthropologists have documented substantial and persistent differences in food preferences across social groups. My paper asks whether such food cultures can constrain caloric intake? I first document that interstate migrants within India consume fewer calories per rupee of food expenditure compared to their neighbors. Second, I show that migrants bring their origin-state food preferences with them. Third, I link these findings by showing that the gap in caloric intake between locals and migrants depends on the suitability and intensity of the migrants' origin-state preferences. The most affected migrants would consume seven percent more calories if they possessed their neighbors' preferences. (JEL D12, I12, O15, R23, Z12, Z13) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The use of machine learning (ML) in mental health (MH) research is increasing, especially as new, more complex data types become available to analyze. By examining the published literature, this review aims to explore the current applications of ML in MH research, with a particular focus on its use in studying diverse and vulnerable populations, including immigrants, refugees, migrants, and racial and ethnic minorities. Methods: From October 2022 to March 2024, Google Scholar, EMBASE, and PubMed were queried. ML-related, MH-related, and population-of-focus search terms were strung together with Boolean operators. Backward reference searching was also conducted. Included peer-reviewed studies reported using a method or application of ML in an MH context and focused on the populations of interest. We did not have date cutoffs. Publications were excluded if they were narrative or did not exclusively focus on a minority population from the respective country. Data including study context, the focus of mental healthcare, sample, data type, type of ML algorithm used, and algorithm performance were extracted from each. Results: Ultimately, 13 peer-reviewed publications were included. All the articles were published within the last 6 years, and over half of them studied populations within the US. Most reviewed studies used supervised learning to explain or predict MH outcomes. Some publications used up to 16 models to determine the best predictive power. Almost half of the included publications did not discuss their cross-validation method. Conclusions: The included studies provide proof-of-concept for the potential use of ML algorithms to address MH concerns in these special populations, few as they may be. Our review finds that the clinical application of these models for classifying and predicting MH disorders is still under development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Perinatal psychological distress adversely impacts the well-being and social adjustment of parents and their children. Expectant parents who have migrated may be at higher risk for perinatal psychological distress due to various migration-specific stressors and healthcare service barriers. Limited studies have examined the perceived determinants of perinatal distress in immigrant parents, particularly men. This study explored first and second-generation immigrant parents' lived experiences of social stressors and facilitators of perinatal psychological well-being. Methods: Participants were recruited by convenience and purposive sampling as part of a larger study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted virtually with first and second-generation immigrant women and men in Quebec, Canada. An inductive thematic analysis was performed. Results: Sixteen women (age = 34.8 ± 3.7 years) and ten men (age = 35.1 ± 4.9 years) from various ethnic backgrounds participated in the study at 7.4 ± 0.73 and 7.5 ± 0.72 months postpartum, respectively. Three themes were identified: (1) cultural pressures (cultural differences in parenting, gender-related cultural pressures, health and baby-related practices), (2) health and social service access (social benefits and resources, and systemic barriers in health care), and (3) discrimination (physical appearance or parental-related discrimination, gender-related discrimination, ethnic-related discrimination). First-generation immigrant parents reported greater acculturative stress (i.e. mental health stigma, health care access) and ethnic discrimination concerns related to their distress. Among men, barriers include feeling as though the paternal role was devalued by society and not receiving consideration by health care. Conclusions: Our results highlight different social factors of perinatal well-being perceived by men and women from various ethnic and immigration backgrounds during the perinatal period. Perceived factors include macro-level factors, such as a country's social climate, health and social policies and services, and social aspects of acculturative stress. Our findings suggest the need for continued efforts to challenge and eliminate discriminatory practices. Interventions and resources directed at first-generation immigrant parents should be bolstered. Understanding what parents perceive to facilitate or hinder their psychological well-being can help inform the development of tailored evidence-based programs and policies to better meet the mental health needs of Canadians and reduce gender disparities in the treatment of perinatal distress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Cross-national research shows that although immigrants initially have better health than their native-born counterparts, their health deteriorates over time in their destination countries, converging to natives' health (health convergence). Explanations include acculturation to negative health behaviors, exposure to low socioeconomic status, and social exclusion. OBJECTIVE This study is the first to examine how material deprivation, a measure of relative disadvantage that includes elements of SES and social exclusion, interacts with duration of stay to affect immigrants' health convergence. METHODS Using data from Italy (2009), we assess the association between duration of stay and three health outcomes, and we estimate interaction effects of duration of stay with material deprivation. RESULTS We find immigrants' duration of stay is negatively associated with self-rated health, chronic morbidity, and activity limitations. Immigrants' health converges to natives', net of controls. Convergence is most dramatic for self-rated health, but the pattern is also reflected in chronic morbidity and activity limitations. The health of immigrants who live in conditions of material deprivation is more similar to natives' health at shorter durations of stay, compared to their not-deprived counterparts. CONTRIBUTION The paper contributes to a better understanding of the role of social exclusion - measured as material deprivation - on the immigrant-native health convergence process. It is the first to assess the interaction of material conditions and duration of stay in a host country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migration policies have a significant impact on population health, particularly for individuals living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). These policies not only determine who is allowed to enter a country but also influence which immigrants can access services provided by the government. Some countries continue to impose restrictions on HIV-positive individuals, justifying these measures as necessary to protect public health and mitigate healthcare and economic concerns. However, these restrictions lack a valid public health rationale. Due to social, economic and political constraints, restrictive migration laws hinder access to HIV prevention, care and treatment services for immigrants living with HIV. Immigrants face numerous challenges in accessing medication, adhering to treatment regimens and benefitting from HIV preventive efforts. This situation increases the risk of HIV infection and adverse health outcomes due to limited access to preventive programmes, social stigma and engagement in risky behaviours. Additionally, these restrictive migration rules negatively affect immigrants' mental health. To improve the health of both immigrants and host communities, inclusive and evidence-based migration policies that address healthcare through public health and human rights lenses are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Effective asthma management relies on individuals' knowledge, inhaler technique, and perceptions of asthma and medications. Investigating barriers and enablers to optimal asthma management is vital. This research pursues a comprehensive understanding of asthma control, asthma-related experiences, perceptions, inhaler technique, and knowledge among Arabic-speaking Middle Eastern migrants and refugees living in Australia. Furthermore, it aims to explore the factors influencing optimal asthma management within this demographic. Patients and Methods: This study involved interviews with 17 participants, with nine identified as migrants and eight as refugees. All participants were Arabic-speaking Middle Eastern individuals residing in Australia and diagnosed with asthma. Interviews were thematically analysed, and findings were presented following the guidelines of the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ). Results: The thematic analysis yielded five key themes: (1) asthma experiences; (2) participant perspectives on asthma; (3) asthma management; (4) asthma health literacy; and (5) strategies to overcome obstacles in asthma management. Some disparities were noted between refugees and migrants in terms of their comprehension and views on asthma, medications use, interactions with healthcare providers, and inhaler technique. Refugees experienced more psychological distress and lacked social support, while migrants were more concerned about long-term medication use and preferred specialised care. Conclusion: This research addresses a knowledge gap concerning asthma control among Middle Eastern immigrants. It provides insights into their beliefs and medication adherence. It underscores the importance of considering the unique characteristics of Middle Eastern migrants and refugees when delivering healthcare interventions to enhance overall health and medication adherence within these populations. To address these differences, the study recommends tailored education, specialised clinics, and culturally relevant asthma management plans to enhance self-management support for both groups. Future studies should explore the impact of modifying beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge regarding medications and asthma to enhance asthma management within this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A growing literature has documented the social, economic, and health impacts of exclusionary immigration and immigrant policies in the early 21st century for Latiné communities in the US, pointing to immigration and immigrant policies as forms of structural racism that affect individual, family, and community health and well-being. Furthermore, the past decade has seen an increase in bi-partisan exclusionary immigration and immigrant policies. Immigration enforcement has been a major topic during the 2024 Presidential election cycle, portending an augmentation of exclusionary policies towards immigrants. Within this context, scholars have called for research that highlights the ways in which Latiné communities navigate exclusionary immigration and immigrant policies, and implications for health. This study examines ways in which Mexican-origin women in a midwestern northern border community navigate restrictive immigration and immigrant policies to access health-promoting resources and care for their well-being. Methods: We conducted a grounded theory analysis drawing on interviews with 48 Mexican-origin women in Detroit, Michigan, who identified as being in the first, 1.5, or second immigrant generation. Interviews were conducted in English or Spanish, depending on participants' preferences, and were conducted at community-based organizations or other locations convenient to participants in 2013–2014. Results: Women reported encountering an interconnected web of institutional processes that used racializing markers to infer legal status and eligibility to access health-promoting resources. Our findings highlight women's use of both individual and collective action to navigate exclusionary policies and processes, working to: (1) maintain access to health-promoting resources; (2) limit labeling and stigmatization; and (3) mitigate adverse impacts of immigrant policing on health and well-being. The strategies women engaged were shaped by both the immigration processes and structures they confronted, and the resources to which they had access to within their social network. Conclusions: Our findings suggest a complex interplay of immigration-related policies and processes, social networks, and health-relevant resources. They highlight the importance of inclusive policies to promote health for immigrant communities. These findings illuminate women's agency in the context of structural violence facing immigrant women and are particularly salient in the face of anti-immigrant rhetoric and exclusionary immigration and immigrant policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Women who are migrants experience discrimination and face major risks, including sexual exploitation, trafficking, and violence, which affect their health and well-being. This study explored critical health incidents experienced by immigrant Thai women in marriage migration. Methods: A qualitative explorative approach with in-depth interviews was used. Forty immigrant Thai women who currently or previously had a Swedish spouse were recruited for the study. An inductive critical incident technique was used to collect and analyze the data as the first step. In a second deductive step, the Newman system model was used to categorize health dilemmas. Results: The women reported 438 critical health incidents in five main areas. Psychological health dilemmas included emotional abuse, feeling overwhelmed due to family responsibilities and the stress of leaving family behind. Sociocultural health dilemmas included transnational family duties or not performing family duties. Physiological health dilemmas included experiencing physical violence and environmental, domestic or work accidents. Developmental health dilemmas included failing health, difficulties upholding the duties expected of a spouse in the target culture and caring for an elderly husband. Spiritual health dilemmas included critical incidents in which the women perceived themselves to have failed in their hopes and duties as a wife, which intensified their dependence on faith, particularly the Buddhist concept of karma. Conclusion: Professionals in health and welfare practices in Thailand together with professionals in Western countries who work with women in marriage migration situations need to recognize the psychological, sociocultural, physiological, developmental, and spiritual health dilemmas experienced by these women. Furthermore, civil organizations that meet Thai women in foreign countries, such as Buddhist cultural associations, would benefit from the multicultural knowledge revealed by the present study. This knowledge can facilitate healthcare and welfare support for women in marriage migration situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Germany, internal migration streams have shaped the population structure quite notably during the past two decades. As selective migration can have a substantial impact on the geographical distribution of health, this paper examines whether internal migrants in Germany are selected regarding their health status. To capture health selection, one measure-i.e. self-rated contentment with health-and two established risk factors for poor health-i.e. smoking and BMI-were included. Applying event history analysis, the health status of migrants was compared to non-migrants, controlling for other individual characteristics. The analyses were based on the German Socio-Economic Panel, a retrospective data set representative of the German population. Results for self-rated health and smoking were inconclusive. While self-rated health was only related to migration in men, smoking was only linked to migration in women. However, there was a clear association between BMI and migration, i.e. the propensity to migrate decreased significantly with increasing weight. The results suggest that BMI is an important indicator of increased susceptibility to ill health, which prevent people from migration. Leaving behind a population who has a greater susceptibility to chronic conditions, selective migration is likely to reinforce the consequences of population ageing and healthcare demand, in particular in regions characterized by outmigration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor refers to various topics in the issue, including health of immigrants in the U.S., sociogram, and tourism in Brazil.

This paper aims at increasing the knowledge related with specialized historiography on the field of migration and tuberculosis in the early decades of the twentieth century, within the context of the internal migration that arrived to the province and the city of Córdoba. Technical literature and testimonies of the time are used as sources. The article is organized in two main sections. On the one hand, it analyses the type of migration that arrived to the city in the context of a healthcare system regarding tuberculosis’ treatment under construction. On the other, it analyses the discourses and concepts that emerged from local power sectors in a scenario characterized by low-income immigrants and a weak healthcare system regarding tuberculosis’ treatment. The paper identifies the existence of concepts and discourses that tended to make the immigrant responsible for spreading the diseases to “healthy” residents and “invading” the city of Cordoba with sick people as well as to bring the collapse of the healthcare system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the development of this paper, researches on migrants' health were reviewed and they showed a pathologizing perspective -related to biopower-. As an alternative to this perspective, I propose that the health of migrants should be approached by public health services based on reflections from social justice, specifically from Benhabib's ideas: the concrete other, which questions the homogenization of the subjects, and the right to have rights, which proposes that these be linked to the human condition, not to categories such as citizenship. This proposal is relevant, as the health impacts of migrants are linked to unequal living conditions, resulting from being considered risky to receiving societies. In that sense, the text's approaches could focus on alternatives to improve their health such as offering a guarantee of rights, improving their living conditions, and receiving differential health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthy China is a crucial policy for advancing global health, addressing inequality between rural and urban health education, and helping the domestic markets recover after the COVID-19 outbreak. This study combines life cycle mechanisms and safety beliefs to evaluate the long-lasting values of health education. We employed data from the China Migration Dynamic Surveys to examine the economic behaviours of 720,900 immigrants using a robust empirical approach combining an Extended Regression Model (E.R.M.), Average Treatment Effects (A.T.E.), and heterogeneous treatment effects. We find that health education increases participation in social medical insurance and the likelihood of purchasing a house. In contrast, the relationship between health education and saving rates is non-linear effects. Empirically robust heterogeneous treatment effects account for heterogeneity in the previous and the younger generations, as well as urban and rural citizens' long-run effects of health education. This study's findings suggest that health education stimulates immigrants' consumption behaviours; however, extra health education is not desirable. Rural-urban citizenship acquisition bias is found to significantly affect health education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: United States (U.S.) census data from 2017 indicates that the percentage of persons born outside of the U.S. is increasing. However, no studies describe the amount of class time focused on immigrant and refugee health during medical school in the U.S. nor on incoming residents' confidence in providing culturally sensitive care. The objective of this study is to characterize final-year medical students' exposure to immigrant and refugee health and their confidence in caring for these populations. Methods: A voluntary, cross-sectional survey was sent electronically to fourth-year medical students at twelve U.S. medical schools in 2020, with 707 respondents (46% response rate). Questions addressed respondents' curricular exposure to immigrant and refugee health care during medical school and their confidence in providing culturally sensitive care. Chi-square tests were used to assess relationships between categorical variables, and odds ratios were calculated for dichotomized variables. Results: Most students (70.6%) described insufficient class time dedicated to culturally sensitive care, and many (64.5%) reported insufficient clinical exposure in caring for immigrants/refugees. The odds that incoming residents felt 'usually' or 'always' confident in their ability to provide culturally sensitive care to immigrants and refugees were higher in those with more class time on culturally sensitive care (OR 5.2 [3.6-7.4]), those with more clinical opportunities to care for immigrants and refugees (OR 7.2 [5.1-10.2]), and those who participated in a domestic low-resource or international elective (OR 1.4 [1.02-1.9]). More than half (55.3%) of respondents reported feeling 'not at all' or only 'sometimes' confident in their ability to provide culturally sensitive care to immigrants/refugees. Conclusions: Most fourth-year U.S. medical students entering residency feel unprepared to deliver culturally sensitive care to immigrants and refugees. This may be mediated by increased exposure to didactic curricula class time and/or experiential clinical activities, as those factors are associated with improved student confidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maltese immigration law means that individuals seeking asylum in this country undergo a period of mandatory detention upon arrival lasting a maximum of 18 months. During their stay in detention centres, these individuals are exposed to an environment characterised by loss of liberty, prolonged inactivity, disconnection to family and the outside world and lack of adequate information about ongoing legal proceedings. It is hardly surprising that such a prolonged period of limbo, awash with isolation, uncertainty and degradation, has a negative impact on the mental health of individuals who, in the vast majority, have already experienced multiple personal losses. Research has in fact indicated that the majority of migrants detained in Europe reported deterioration in their mental health during their stay in detention. This article explores the impact of psychological support groups provided by non-state actors in Maltese detention centres aimed at educating about mental health issues, as well as at providing participants with a space where they can openly discuss their psychological difficulties and collaboratively explore ways to enhance their mental health within the constraints of detention. This paper discusses the challenges and benefits of conducting such a programme with an emphasis on how participants viewed the opportunity provided. This discussion analyses how these groups functioned as a medium enabling participants to voice their phenomenological experience of detention on both an individual and collective level and as an arena for negotiating a sense of self that is resilient to the experience of forced detention. In conclusion, this paper provides suggestions on how to address the psychological needs of migrants in closed centres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nepal is one of the largest suppliers of labour to countries where there is a demand for cheap and low skilled workers. In the recent years the Gulf countries have collectively become the main destinations for international migration. This paper aims to explore the health problems and accidents experienced by a sample of Nepalese migrant in three Gulf countries. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 408 Nepalese migrants who had at least one period of work experience of at least six months in any of three Gulf countries: Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE). Face to face questionnaire interviews were conducted applying a convenience technique to select the study participants. Results: Nepalese migrants in these Gulf countries were generally young men between 26-35 years of age. Unskilled construction jobs including labourer, scaffolder, plumber and carpenter were the most common jobs. Health problems were widespread and one quarter of study participants reported experiencing injuries or accidents at work within the last 12 months. The rates of health problems and accidents reported were very similar in the three countries. Only one third of the respondents were provided with insurance for health services by their employer. Lack of leave for illness, cost and fear of losing their job were the barriers to accessing health care services. The study found that construction and agricultural workers were more likely to experience accidents at their workplace and health problems than other workers. Conclusion: The findings suggest important messages for the migration policy makers in Nepal. There is a lack of adequate information for the migrants making them aware of their health risks and rights in relation to health services in the destination countries and we suggest that the government of Nepal should be responsible for providing this information. Employers should provide orientation on possible health risks and appropriate training for preventive measures and all necessary access to health care services to all their workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the key human rights consequences of the HIV screening policy that applies to all permanent and some temporary resident applicants to Canada. This mandatory policy was introduced in early 2002 by Citizenship and Immigration Canada after consultation with Health Canada. The policy has yet to be evaluated and, until recently, the actualities of the medical encounters where testing occurs in domestic and international settings have not been researched. There is no systematic documentation of the policy's implications on either the lives of persons who submit to mandatory testing or on health systems. This article argues that there are sound options for responding to the human rights challenges posed by the screening policy. Data were obtained from secondary literature and findings from empirical fieldwork and research among immigrants living with HIV/AIDS in Canada. This paper adds to theoretical and applied health services and interventions work by focusing attention on avenues for addressing key human rights concerns posed by the policy. These are identified and critically explored through the framework that Lawrence Gostin and the late Jonathan Mann developed in 1999, which was later extended by Barry Hoffmaster and Ted Schrecker in 2000. The article concludes with four recommendations for addressing the central human rights consequences of the policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic hepatitis B virus infection (HBV) is an important health problem in the Turkish community in the Netherlands, and promotion of screening for HBV in this risk group is necessary. An individually tailored intervention and a culturally tailored intervention have been developed to promote screening in first generation 16-40 year old Turkish immigrants. This paper describes the design of the randomized controlled trial, which will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the two tailored internet interventions as compared to generic online information on HBV, and to assess the added value of tailoring on socio-cultural factors.Methods/design: A cluster randomized controlled trial design, in which we invite all Rotterdam registered inhabitants born in Turkey, aged 16-40 (n = 10,000), to visit the intervention website is used. A cluster includes all persons living at one house address. The clusters are randomly assigned to either group A, B or C. On the website, persons eligible for testing will be selected through a series of exclusion questions and will then continue in the randomly assigned intervention group. Group A will receive generic information on HBV. Group B will receive individually tailored information related to social-cognitive determinants of screening. Group C will receive culturally tailored information which, next to social-cognitive factors, addresses cultural factors related to screening. Subsequently, participants may obtain a laboratory form, with which they can be tested free of charge at local health centres. The main outcome of the study is the percentage of eligible persons tested for HBV through to participation in one of the three groups. Measurements of the outcome behaviour and its determinants will be at baseline and five weeks post-intervention.Discussion: This trial will provide information on the effectiveness of a culturally tailored internet intervention promoting HBV-screening in first generation Turkish immigrants in the Netherlands, aged 16-40. The results will contribute to the evidence base for culturally tailored (internet) interventions in ethnic minority populations. An effective intervention will lead to a reduction of the morbidity and mortality due to HBV in this population. This may not only benefit patients, but also help reduce health inequalities in western countries.Trial Registration: The Netherlands National Trial Register NTR 2394. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Refugee and immigrant populations have diverse cultural factors that affect their access to health care and must be considered when building a new clinical space. Health design thinking can help a clinical team evaluate and consolidate these factors while maintaining close contact with architects, patients' community leaders, and hospital or institutional leadership. A diverse group of clinicians, medical students, community leaders and architects planned a clinic devoted to refugee and immigrant health, a first-of-its-kind for South Philadelphia. Methods: The planning process and concept design of this wellness center is presented as a design case study to demonstrate how principles and methods of human-centered design were used to create a community clinic. Design thinking begins with empathizing with the end users' experiences before moving to ideation and prototyping of a solution. These steps were accomplished through focus groups, a design workshop, and iterations of the center's plan. Results: Focus groups were thematically analyzed and generated two themes of access and resources and seven subthemes that informed the design workshop. A final floor plan of the wellness center was selected, incorporating priorities of all stakeholders and addressing issues of disease prevention, social determinants of health, and lifestyle-related illness that were relevant to the patient population. Conclusions: Design thinking methods are useful for health care organizations that must adapt to the needs of diverse stakeholders and especially populations that are underserved or displaced. While much has been written on the theory and stages of design thinking, this study is novel in describing this methodology from the beginning to the end of the process of planning a clinical space with input from the patient population. This study thus serves as a proof of concept of the application of design thinking in planning clinical spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though food insecurity has long been recognised to impact health, population-specific determinants of food insecurity have recently been studied systematically as an important public health concern. Indeed, while immigrant populations face particular challenges to equitable access to the food system, many of these concerns have not been systematically described. To this end, we critically review recent work that demonstrates the importance of transportation and language access as independent determinants of access to food for immigrant populations. Furthermore, we highlight proposals to mitigate barriers to access, including both academic and community-driven approaches to create overlapping institutional commitments for inclusive policymaking that meets the specific needs of diverse populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We examined differences in blood pressure (BP) levels between first-generation immigrants and natives in adult residents in Northeast Italy, and investigated the role of lifestyle behaviors, body mass index (BMI), and education as potentially modifiable mediating factors. Methods: We included 20–69-year-old participants from the Health Surveillance Program of the Veneto Region (n = 37,710). Immigrants born in a high migratory pressure country (HMPC) were further grouped into geographical macro-areas. The outcomes were systolic BP (SBP) and hypertension. Multiple mediation analyses were performed to determine the contribution of each mediator of the SBP/migrant status association. Results: Of the 37,380 subjects included, 8.7% were born in an HMPC. BMI, education, alcohol, sweets and meat consumption were included as potential mediators. A small advantage in SBP was seen for immigrants compared to natives (β = – 0.71,95%CI – 1.30; – 0.10). The direct effect (net of the covariates) of immigrant status on SBP was a reduction of 1.62 mmHg (95%CI – 2.25; – 0.98). BMI played the highest suppressive role (β = 1.14,95%CI 0.99; 1.35), followed by education. Alcohol consumption amplified the health advantage of immigrants. The suppressing effect of BMI was particularly evident among women and North Africans compared to natives. Similar results were seen for hypertension rates. Conclusions: Although causation cannot be proven given the cross-sectional design, our findings identify BMI as the most effective target to preserve the health advantage of immigrants with respect to BP levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing numbers of refugees and immigrants from conflict-prone areas settling throughout the world bring several challenges for those working in the mental health care system. Immigrants and refugees of all ages arrive with complex and nuanced mental health histories of war, torture, and strenuous migration journeys. Many of the challenges of addressing the health care needs for this growing population of immigrants and refugees are often unfamiliar, and thus practices to address these challenges are not yet routine for care providers and health care organizations. In particular, complex trauma can make mental health assessments difficult for health care organizations or care providers with limited experience and training in transcultural or trauma-informed care. Using a transcultural approach can improve assessment and screening processes, leading to more effective and high-quality care for immigrant and refugee families experiencing mental health disorders. This paper presents findings from an assessment of current mental health services focusing on current practices and experiences with immigrant and refugee patients and families. The difficulties in developing shared understandings about mental health can hinder the therapeutic process; therefore, it is imperative to ensure an effective assessment right from the beginning, yet there is limited use of existing cultural formulation tools from the DSM-IV or DSM-5. The paper outlines current practices, approaches, challenges, and recommendations shared by mental health care providers and program leaders in addressing the mental health care needs of immigrants and refugees. The results from this study demonstrate that there are many challenges and inconsistencies in providing transcultural, trauma-informed care. Respondents emphasized the need for a thorough yet flexible and adaptive approach that allows for an exploration of differences in cultural interpretations of mental health. Our study concluded that ensuring a mindful, reflexive, transcultural, and trauma-informed health care workforce, and a learning environment to support staff with education, resources, and tools will improve the health care experiences of immigrants and refugees in the mental health care system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers have identified a host of factors that influence immigrant men's understanding of and commitment to health, but overall the scholarship is still unsettled, in large part because the experiences of immigrant groups are so varied. In this paper, based on interviews with Kurdish immigrants in the United States, we demonstrate that the field of health provides both opportunities and pitfalls for men whose social, familial, and masculine aspirations simultaneously pull them into American life and push them towards a segregated existence. We conclude that men use a discourse of health to simultaneously assert themselves as men and maintain their connections to their original culture, just as they use a discourse of masculine responsibility to account for the health-related choices they make. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This systematic review (SLR), based on the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, aims to present a current overview of interventions aimed at promoting the psychosocial well-being and/or empowerment (PWE) of immigrant women in order to guide future projects. Data collection was performed in the SCOPUS and Web of Science databases, with studies published between 2012 and 20 March 2023 in English, Portuguese, and Spanish. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were based on the PICO guidelines: (P) immigrant women, (I) interventions to improve PWE, (C) comparison between the initial and final phases, and (O) evaluated results for PWE. Risk of bias was assessed, and most of the studies met more than 80% of the JBI bias criteria and had moderate quality on GRADE. Thirteen studies with 585 participants were included, mostly non-randomized, non-equivalent, and with an experimental-control group design. The main components of interventions were health education/psychoeducation, counseling, cognitive restructuring, and expressive therapies. A descriptive synthesis of qualitative and quantitative data was made to evaluate the results of the interventions in PWE. In the experimental studies, results assessed improvements mainly in mood and depression levels, and stress reduction. Empowerment components were less covered. Experimental groups performed better in almost all variables in the comparison with control groups. The strongest interventions were psychoeducation and cognitive restructuring techniques. The main limitations of the studies were the lack of quality of several studies, sample size and representativeness, language, and the possibility of response bias. Even taking this into account, this article makes an original contribution by advocating for evidence-based practice and offering significant implications for health professionals, policy makers, and researchers that work with the integrative health of immigrant women. This SLR is registered in PROPESRO Registration: CRD42023399683. PS is a research fellow of the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) of Portugal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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African immigrants in the United States may experience barriers to health-care access and effectiveness. This mixed-methods study used paper-based surveys of people (N=101) in the target population from Nigeria, Ghana, and Liberia, recruited through convenience and snowball sampling. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 3 clergy members who pastor churches with large Nigerian, Ghanaian, and Liberian populations, respectively; and five physicians and a clinical pharmacist who serve African immigrants. Results : Length of stay in the United States was associated with the health status of refugee children. Undocumented immigration status was associated with lack of health insurance. Cardiovascular diseases, uterine fibroids and stress-related disorders were the most prevalent reported conditions. Regardless of English fluency, many immigrants are unfamiliar with medical terminology. Conclusion: African immigrants in the state of Rhode Island need more health education and resources to navigate the US health-care system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From 2001 to 2013, a total of 2,184 people died in the southern border region of Arizona. Approximately 75% of them perished from hyperthermia, heat stroke or dehydration. Although the environmental conditions in the Sonora-Arizona region clearly present a high risk, migrants continue to cross this region. Hence the aim of this study was to examine the perception of migrants as to the risk of high temperatures. Based on 27 interviews conducted in shelters in Agua Prieta and Ciudad Obregón, in Sonora, Mexico, it was found that only a third of the migrants interviewed considered the region's high temperatures to be a health problem. This paper concludes that this minimization of risk is due to an excess and saturation of dangers associated with violence against migrants in their journey through Mexico. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

System-involvement resulting from anti-trafficking interventions and the criminalization of sex work and migration results in negative health impacts on sex workers, migrants, and people with trafficking experiences. Due to their stigmatized status, sex workers and people with trafficking experiences often struggle to access affordable, unbiased, and supportive health care. This paper will use thematic analysis of qualitative data from in-depth interviews and ethnographic fieldwork with 50 migrant sex workers and trafficked persons, as well as 20 key informants from legal and social services, in New York and Los Angeles. It will highlight the work of trans-specific and sex worker–led initiatives that are internally addressing gaps in health care and the negative health consequences that result from sexual humanitarian anti-trafficking interventions that include policing, arrest, court-involvement, court-mandated social services, incarceration, and immigration detention. Our analysis focuses on the impact of criminalization on sex workers and their experiences with sexual humanitarian efforts intended to protect and control them. We argue that these grassroots community-based efforts are a survival-oriented reaction to the harms of criminalization and a response to vulnerabilities left unattended by mainstream sexual humanitarian approaches to protection and service provision that frame sex work itself as the problem. Peer-to-peer interventions such as these create solidarity and resiliency within marginalized communities, which act as protective buffers against institutionalized systemic violence and the resulting negative health outcomes. Our results suggest that broader public health support and funding for community-led health initiatives are needed to reduce barriers to health care resulting from stigma, criminalization, and ineffective anti-trafficking and humanitarian efforts. We conclude that the decriminalization of sex work and the reform of institutional practices in the US are urgently needed to reduce the overall negative health outcomes of system-involvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural competency proposals have been developed as part of an effort to infuse clinical training with a structural focus. Framed in the context of medical education, the discussion on structural competency naturally emphasises the development of such competency in healthcare workers. In this article, we shift the focus to reflect on how the work of migrant community leaders may involve the development of structural competencies and what can be learned from this complementary perspective. We analysed the development of structural competency in an immigrant rights organisation in northern Chile. We conducted focus groups with migrant leaders and volunteers and used the tools proposed by the Structural Competency Working Group to facilitate dialogue. This allowed us to verify the development of structural competency and other collective competencies, including the capacity to create a protected space for circulating experiences and knowledge; coordinate a heterogeneous group of agents; have a socio-legal impact; and maintain autonomy concerning ideological production. This article introduces the concept of collective structural competency and reflects on the importance of expanding beyond the common medical-centred approach when considering structural competency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immigrant families and their children experience isolation after migration to Canada. Inadequate income, unemployment, and underemployment have all been identified as primary challenges to the mental health of immigrant families. This study qualitatively explored the perceptions of six Middle Eastern immigrant caregivers regarding their children's post-migration mental health. The research was situated in the constructivist paradigm, and qualitative descriptive design was used to explore participant experiences. Interviews were conducted in English with three Farsi-speaking and three Arabic-speaking caregivers. Reflexive thematic analysis was performed. Three themes were developed: (a) parents feel their children are isolated and lonely; (b) caregivers' limited access to resources impacts their children's mental health; and (c) community connections enhance families' mental health. Findings suggest children's experiences with family separation and exposure to racism contributed to children's loneliness. Children's isolation was exacerbated by caregivers' limited access to resources to support their children's transition into Canada. Caregivers identified social support as an asset to their families' mental health. This research highlights the importance of culturally responsive health, employment, and education policies, together with programs to provide resources for immigrant families to support their children's mental health after migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study is to address the health beliefs and health behavior of Chinese immigrants residing in the Greater Vancouver area of British Columbia (BC) Province in Canada. This article discussed Chinese immigrants' traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) use, health beliefs, and health behaviors. Methods: Information used in this study is based on data collected in the Chinese-speaking community in the Greater Vancouver area of BC in 2020–2022. Quantitative and qualitative methods were applied to this study. The first stage recruited 314 participants for the quantitative study to cross-validate an instrument tool, followed by the 2nd stage of 20 stratified random sampling out of the 314 participants for TCM-related in-depth qualitative interviews. This study focuses on the second stage of TCM qualitative interviews. Results: Results indicated that TCM health beliefs have cultural and spiritual meanings tied to the Chinese-speaking participants. There are barriers for the Chinese-speaking population to access the existing healthcare services due to their TCM health beliefs and other health needs, for example, family doctors, integrated medicine for better health outcomes, and mental health services especially during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Conclusion: Integrating TCM health beliefs and behaviors of Chinese-speaking immigrants into existing Canadian mainstream health services are strongly recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Worldwide, more immigrants experience vitamin D (vitD) deficiency than non-immigrants, which is attributed to ethnic variations, place or region of birth, skin pigmentation, clothing style, and resettlement-related changes in diet, physical activity, and sun exposure. Current recommendations in clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) concerning vitD are inadequate to address vitD deficiency among immigrants. CPGs may also lack guidance for physicians on vitD supplementation for immigrants. Moreover, there are concerns about the overall quality of these CPGs. Objectives: This systematic review will collate and critically appraise CPGs relevant to immigrants' health and vitD. Moreover, we will evaluate whether the CPGs of vitD including recommendations for immigrants and clarify whether the CPGs of immigrants include recommendations on vitD. Methods: A systematic search of Ovid MEDLINE® ALL, EMBASE, and Turning Research Into Practice (TRIP) electronic databases, guideline repositories, and gray literature will be conducted to identify relevant CPGs. Two reviewers will independently evaluate the methodological quality of the retrieved guidelines using the Appraisal of Guidelines, Research, and Evaluation-II (AGREE-II) instrument. CPGs scoring ≥60% in at least four domains, including "rigor of development," will be considered high quality. Conclusion: Evaluating the quality and content of relevant CPGs may support researchers in developing national and global guidelines for immigrants. Furthermore, it may support vitD testing, nutritional counseling, and supplementation for vulnerable immigrant sub-populations. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42021240562. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considerable research has focused on whether or not immigrants' health declines to match that of comparable native-born people. This immigrant health convergence is hypothesized to be driven by immigrants' acculturation to American society and habits. This is particularly problematic for a country such as the United States which combines a high number of immigrants, bad health habits among the native born, and an expensive health care system. Previous research in this literature uses the duration of an immigrant's current stay in the United States as the measure of exposure to acculturation. Using the duration of the immigrant's current stay in the United States implicitly assumes one long-term move. However, the largest immigrant group in the United States (Mexicans) is characterized by a pattern of repeated migration trips. This paper separates out the effects of migration duration and lifetime cumulative experience for Mexican immigrants to the United States. The empirical analysis is carried out using data from the Mexican Migration Project. The Mexican Migration Project has been collecting data on Mexican immigrants to the United States since the mid- 1980s. Empirical results find that while overall time spent in the United States supports the acculturation hypothesis, single-trip migration duration has the opposite effect. The positive impact of single-trip duration on health is likely caused by recovery time needed to compensate for difficult crossings into the United States which have an even harsher effect on health if the individual undertakes short, repeated migrations. We also find that having Latino friends improves health while Anglo friends cause faster convergence and worse long-term health impacts. Both support the acculturation hypothesis. Results suggest that researchers need to focus on the cumulative impact of time spent in the United States rather than relying on just the duration of the latest trip. This suggests a much larger negative effect of migration on health than studies relying solely on migration duration. In the case of repeated migration patterns, this imposes costs on both the health care systems of the destination (USA) and source (Mexico) countries. Repeated immigration to the United States can result in acculturation which causes bad health habits to be brought back to Mexico, along with the accompanying costs these incur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Few studies have assessed the burden of Chagas disease in non-endemic countries and most of them are based on prevalence estimates from Latin American (LA) countries that likely differ from the prevalence in migrants living in Europe. The aim of this study was to systematically review the existing data informing current understanding of the prevalence of Chagas disease in LA migrants living in European countries. Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies reporting prevalence of Chagas disease in European countries belonging to the European Union (EU) before 2004 in accordance with the MOOSE guidelines and based on the database sources MEDLINE and Global Health. No restrictions were placed on study date, study design or language of publication. The pooled prevalence was estimated using random effect models based on DerSimonian & Laird method. Results: We identified 18 studies conducted in five European countries. The random effect pooled prevalence was 4.2% (95%CI:2.2-6.7%); and the heterogeneity of Chagas disease prevalence among studies was high (I2 = 97%,p<0.001). Migrants from Bolivia had the highest prevalence of Chagas disease (18.1%, 95%CI:13.9–22.7%). Conclusions: Prevalence of Chagas in LA migrants living in Europe is high, particularly in migrants from Bolivia and Paraguay. Data are highly heterogeneous dependent upon country of origin and within studies of migrants from the same country of origin. Country-specific prevalence differs from the estimates available from LA countries. Our meta-analysis provides prevalence estimates of Chagas disease that should be used to estimate the burden of disease in European countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND On arrival, immigrants are on average healthier than Italian natives, but their health advantage tends to dissipate over time. This constitutes a relevant public health issue for the hosting societies, as it implies higher health care costs, lower labor market participation among immigrants, and lower tax revenues. OBJECTIVE This study is the first to take a "beyond the mean" perspective in analyzing health differences between Italians and short-say immigrants, as well as between short- and long-stay immigrants. It highlights whether health differences are concentrated in specific parts of the distributions and which observed or unobserved factors contribute to these differences. METHODS We use unconditional quantile regressions combined with Oaxaca-Blinder decompositions on data from the Italian Health Condition Survey. RESULTS We find that the health advantage of short-stay immigrants over both Italians and longstay immigrants is concentrated in the lower part of the health distributions. In both cases, this is mainly due to unobserved factors. Observed economic characteristics are actually associated with better health for long-stay immigrants compared to short-stay immigrants. Our results reveal the need of monitoring immigrants' health, particularly of those with poorer initial health conditions. CONTRIBUTION We examine immigrant health disparities across the entire health distribution. This helps in shaping effective health policies. Policy interventions should be tailored to immigrants with poor health conditions, for example, by improving their access to the health care system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Immigrants to the United States are usually healthier than their U.S.-born counterparts, yet the health of immigrants declines with duration of stay in the U.S. This pattern is often seen for numerous health problems such as obesity, and is usually attributed to acculturation (the adoption of "American" behaviors and norms). However, an alternative explanation is secular trends, given that rates of obesity have been rising globally. Few studies of immigrants are designed to distinguish the effects of acculturation versus secular trends, in part because most studies of immigrants are cross-sectional, lack baseline data prior to migration, and do not have a comparison group of non-migrants in the country of origin. This paper describes the Health of Philippine Emigrants Study (HoPES), a study designed to address many of these limitations.Methods: HoPES is a dual-cohort, longitudinal, transnational study. The first cohort consisted of Filipinos migrating to the United States (n = 832). The second cohort consisted of non-migrant Filipinos who planned to remain in the Philippines (n = 805). Baseline data were collected from both cohorts in 2017 in the Philippines, with follow-up data collection planned over 3 years in either the U.S. for the migrant cohort or the Philippines for the non-migrant cohort. At baseline, interviewers administered semi-structured questionnaires that assessed demographic characteristics, diet, physical activity, stress, and immigration experiences. Interviewers also measured weight, height, waist and hip circumferences, blood pressure, and collected dried blood spot samples.Discussion: Migrants enrolled in the study appear to be representative of recent Filipino migrants to the U.S. Additionally, migrant and non-migrant study participants are comparable on several characteristics that we attempted to balance at baseline, including age, gender, and education. HoPES is a unique study that approximates a natural experiment from which to study the effects of immigration on obesity and other health problems. A number of innovative methodological strategies were pursued to expand the boundaries of current immigrant health research. Key to accomplishing this research was investment in building collaborative relationships with stakeholders across the U.S. and the Philippines with shared interest in the health of migrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]