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For newly arrived migrants, integration is important in promoting health and decreasing health inequities. In a Swedish context, civic orientation is a program to promote integration and increase the chance of employment for newly arrived migrants. The aim of this project was to explore how civic communicators view and approach health promotion in their work with newly arrived migrants in the civic orientation program in Sweden. Data were collected through interviews with eight civic communicators working with newly arrived migrants in civic orientation in the north of Sweden. The interviews followed a semi-structured interview guide and were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic analysis. The analysis resulted in the main theme “To dress the participants for a (healthy) life in Sweden,” with two sub-themes “Knowledge—a key to health” and “Being a guide for participants in a new context.” In their work with civic orientation for newly arrived migrants, civic communicators are involved in health promotion by preparing their participants for a life in Sweden. They work to empower their participants to be able to make informed decisions and live healthy lives by both providing information to enhance knowledge and skills. They also work to guide them through the complexity of being in a new situation and country.

Abstract Background Improving access to optimal quality of care is a core priority and ambitious health policy goal in spite of impediments, threats and challenges in Palestine. Understanding the factors that may impede quality of care is essential in developing an effective healthcare intervention for patient with non-communicable disease (NCD) or war-injured survivors. Methods Qualitative interviews were performed using a purposive sampling strategy of 18 political-key informants, 10 patients with NCD and 7 war-injured survivors from different health facilities in Gaza Strip. A semi-structured interview guide was developed for data collection. The interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Important field notes of the individual interviews were also reported. Thematic-driven analytic approach was used to identify key themes and patterns. Results From the policy maker’s perspective, the following important barriers to accessing optimal healthcare for patients with NCD or war-injured survivors’ treatment were identified; 1) organizational/structural 2) availability 3) communication 4) personnel/lack of staff 5) financial and political barriers. Patient with NCD or war-injury had similar experiences of barriers as the policy makers. In addition, they also identified socioeconomic, physical and psychological barriers for accessing optimal healthcare and treatment. Conclusions The main perceived barriers explored through this study will be very interesting and useful if they are considered seriously and handled carefully, in order to ensure efficient, productive, cost-effective intervention and delivery of a high-standard quality of care and better disease management.

As a group, newly arrived migrants in Sweden face inequities in health compared to the general population. Successful promotion of population health requires awareness of and focus on health from several sectors of society. In light of this, the aim was to study the views of local authority officials on collaboration in health promotion activities for newly arrived migrants. Data was collected through five focus group interviews with 23 local authority officials working with the integration of newly arrived migrants in the Establishment Program in a municipality or at the Employment Services in northern Sweden. An inductive qualitative latent content analysis was performed, and the analysis showed that the participating officials considered health promotion as desirable in the Establishment Program, but it also raised complex issues within the existing organisations. The officials described unclear roles, but also possible changes to the organisation that would improve the possibility of working to promote health. The present study adds to the relatively limited knowledge of health promotion in integration activities and offers clinical relevance for policymakers through the officials' suggestions for improvements in the Establishment Program. It also raises important questions for further research.

There is a need for more knowledge about positive health determinants in the school setting. The overall aim of this study was to analyse if positive self-reported health is associated with experiences of school among high-school students. Data originated from the health dialogue questionnaire answered by students in grade 1 of high school. A total of 5035 students participated from the academic years 2013 to 2016. Logistic regression with positive odds ratio (POR) was used to analyse associations between positive self-reported health and school experiences. There was an association between positive self-reported health and school experiences among students. Positive mental health was the strongest predictor for positive school experiences. To frequently participate in Physical Education, have a positive body image and satisfactory sleep nearly doubled the students’ odds for positive school experiences. The results also revealed gender differences; boys more often reported positive experiences of school and positive health than girls. Positive self-reported health is associated with positive experiences of school, particularly mental health. Moreover, these findings have significant implications for how students experience school and demonstrate the importance of including health-promoting interventions in systemic school improvement, meeting both girls’ and boys’ needs.

Previous research has indicated that migrants risk facing inequities both internationally and in Sweden; integration policies are therefore important to study. How health is described in policies affects how health interventions are approached. Discourse analysis offers a way of understanding how health is framed within the integration policies affecting newly arrived migrants in Sweden. The aim was to analyse the health discourses used in Swedish and European Union (EU) integration policies. A discourse analysis, inspired by Fairclough, was performed on integration policies related to Sweden, at local, regional, national and EU levels. The policies of the Establishment Program, which focuses on newly arrived migrants (refugees, persons of subsidiary protection and their relatives who arrived through family reunification), were chosen for the analysis, and 17 documents were analysed in total. The analysis of the documents showed how the health discourses were expressed in the form of the medicalisation of health, the individualisation of health and the risk of ill health. A pathogenic approach to health was visible in the policies and individual disease prevention or rehabilitation was the main health focus. The results showed similarities to previous research highlighting how a particular understanding of health in a neoliberal context is formed.