Journal of Migration and Health最新文献

{"title":"Accessibility of healthcare services for seasonal migrant farmworkers in Spain: barriers and facilitators identified by professionals","authors":"Lena van Selm ,&nbsp;Iratxe Pérez-Urdiales ,&nbsp;José Tomás Mateos ,&nbsp;Maria del Mar Jiménez-Lasserrotte ,&nbsp;María del Mar Pastor-Bravo ,&nbsp;Ana Requena-Méndez ,&nbsp;Erica Briones-Vozmediano","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100353","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100353","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>In Europe, Spain has the highest percentage of migrants working in agriculture. Seasonal migrant farmworkers (SMFs) are a vulnerable group in the labor market as they often work in precarious situations that may impact their health. Although all migrants with municipality registrations, including those in irregular situations, should have access to healthcare according to Spanish law, some barriers limit access to care for migrants. This study aimed to identify barriers and facilitators to SMFs' accessibility to healthcare services at the healthcare system level.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We conducted semi-structured interviews among a purposive sample of 92 professionals from the health and social support system who work with this population in four regions of Spain. Using Atlas.ti web, we analyzed the transcriptions using a thematic content analysis approach.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The main barriers identified were administrative, geographical, time, financial, and healthcare system capacity. Subsequently, SMFs may use emergency care to enter the healthcare system and, for non-urgent issues, some of them were using other people´s documents when using healthcare facilities. Facilitators identified were reducing administrative barriers, providing patient-centered care, and supporting services provided by NGOs.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>To increase access to healthcare services, more flexibility is required regarding issuing municipality registrations and healthcare cards and appointment schedules. Some of the administrative barriers identified in this study are rooted in municipal authorities not consistently complying with recommendations and regulations by the Spanish government. Therefore, consistent compliance by public officials throughout all regions would be the first step in increasing access to healthcare.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100353"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144885415","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Characterization of international migration movements toward Chile: A scoping review of scientific articles and official reports","authors":"María Belén Reinoso-Cataldo ,&nbsp;Valeria Stuardo ,&nbsp;Cecilia Bustos-Ibarra ,&nbsp;Julieta Belmar ,&nbsp;Cristian Lisboa ,&nbsp;Kenny Low ,&nbsp;Sonia Parella Rubio ,&nbsp;Constanza Adrian Parra ,&nbsp;Mercedes Carrasco-Portiño","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100363","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100363","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;In the last decade, Chile has emerged as a receiving country for migrants from Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The scale of this phenomenon has sparked increasing interest in understanding its impact on various sectors such as healthcare and education. This study aims to characterize the scientific evidence and official reports on international migration toward Chile from 1990 to 2024. A scoping review was conducted. Global inclusion criteria: These encompassed articles and official reports published between 1990 and 2024 focusing on the migrant population toward Chile. Databases for the articles: These included PubMed, Scopus, WoS, and SciELO. Keywords: These included Transients and Migrants, Emigration and Immigration, Population Dynamics, Human Migration, Chile, South America, Latin America, and Freedom of Movement. Sources for the official reports: These included National Statistics Institute (INE for its acronym in Spanish); Department of Immigration and Foreign Services; Jesuit Migrant Service; National Human Rights Institute (INDH for its acronym in Spanish); and The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). No keywords were used. Global variables: These included type of study, sociodemographic characteristics, type of migration, object of study, main results, limitations, and conclusions. A concordance test of the questionnaire was conducted for the articles and official reports, yielding 91 % and 94 % agreement between observers, respectively.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Accordingly, 21 articles and 28 official reports were included. In both types of sources, the study population included the entire life cycle, primarily from countries in LAC. The observed types of migration included international (voluntary, forced, or humanitarian). Articles focused on measuring mental health (MH) and the access/use of healthcare services. Regarding MH, it was observed that the young migrant population exhibited worse indicators than the adult population, while both migrant and Chilean populations exhibited similar MH statistics, with socioeconomic level (SEL) being a significant determinant. Access to healthcare services has increased among the migrant population and is contingent upon SEL. Only two articles have addressed subjects related to reproductive health, with none discussing sexual health. Official reports focused on characterizing the population and their access to services (healthcare, education, housing, occupational situation), border mobility, poverty index, social perceptions, and inclusion. Most studies have utilized secondary data provided by official sources.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Migration toward Chile primarily involves south–south migration, sociodemographic characterization, and issues accessing services, including healthcare. Results highlight a scarcity of studies collecting primary data, leading to a lack of relevant indicators for understanding aspects such as migration causes, attracting factors, migration trajectory, migration status, cross-cultural r","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100363"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145264685","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Acceptability and feasibility of CHANGE, a non-specialist worker delivered intervention to address alcohol use disorders and psychological distress among conflict-affected populations in Uganda: a qualitative study","authors":"Abhijit Nadkarni ,&nbsp;Catharina Van der Boor ,&nbsp;Jacqueline N. Ndlovu ,&nbsp;Dalili Taban ,&nbsp;Wietse A. Tol ,&nbsp;Bayard Roberts ,&nbsp;Helen A. Weiss ,&nbsp;Josephine Akellot ,&nbsp;Soumya Singh ,&nbsp;Melissa Neuman ,&nbsp;Carl May ,&nbsp;Eugene Kinyanda ,&nbsp;Daniela C. Fuhr","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100361","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100361","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>CHANGE is a psychological intervention designed using a systematic intervention development process for addressing the needs of men with co-existing psychological distress and alcohol use disorders (AUD) in conflict-affected settings. The aim of this study in Uganda was to understand experiences of those who delivered and received the intervention to inform contextually relevant adaptations before testing its cost-effectiveness in a randomised controlled trial.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The study was implemented in the Rhino Camp refugee settlement in Northern Uganda. We conducted three sequential sets of 10 individual semi-structured in-depth interviews each with (a) adult (≥18 years) men with hazardous/harmful drinking and psychological distress who received the CHANGE intervention, and (b) non-specialist workers (NSWs) who delivered the CHANGE intervention. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The experiences of the men with hazardous/harmful drinking and NSWs were broadly consistent with each other. The participants found the knowledge and skill acquisition related to alcohol use, and the intervention materials such as handouts useful. Feasibility of the intervention was enhanced by its structured nature with in-built flexibility, and intervention content was perceived as easily comprehensible. On the other hand, the loss of potential earnings due to time spent in the sessions was a barrier to attendance. The intervention was perceived to result in reduced drinking and improvement in related activities such as sleep, appetite, and social relationships. Some of the perceived mechanisms for change included distraction and strengthening of supportive social networks. The day-to-day challenges of life in a refugee camp were a common barrier to changing drinking behaviour despite receiving the intervention.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>If proven to be effective, the acceptability and feasibility of CHANGE makes it a potentially scalable intervention in low resource settings with shortage of specialist healthcare professionals. The intervention may have the potential to be integrated with other programmes of care that can address additional adversities that the population may face in the setting.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100361"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145227275","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Healthcare utilization patterns among migrant populations: Increased readmissions suggest poorer access. A population-wide retrospective cohort study","authors":"Elma Dervić ,&nbsp;Ola Ali ,&nbsp;Carola Deischinger ,&nbsp;Rafael Prieto-Curiel ,&nbsp;Rainer Stütz ,&nbsp;Ellenor Mittendorfer-Rutz ,&nbsp;Peter Klimek","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100340","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100340","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background:</h3><div>Equal access to health ensures that all citizens, regardless of socio-economic status, can achieve optimal health, leading to a more productive, equitable, and resilient society. Yet, migrant populations were frequently observed to have lower access to health. The reasons for this are not entirely clear and may include language barriers, a lack of knowledge of the healthcare system, and selective migration (a “healthy migrant” effect).</div></div><div><h3>Objective:</h3><div>To examine differences in hospital utilization and readmission rates between Austrian and non-Austrian populations using nationwide hospital claims data, with the aim of disentangling the effects of potential barriers to healthcare access.</div></div><div><h3>Methods:</h3><div>Here, we use extensive medical claims data from Austria (13 million hospital stays of approximately 4 million individuals between 2015 and 2019) to compare the healthcare utilization patterns between Austrians and non-Austrians. We looked at the differences in primary diagnoses and hospital sections of initial hospital admission across different nationalities. We hypothesize that cohorts experiencing the “healthy migrant” effect show lower readmission rates after hospitalization compared to migrant populations that are in poorer health but show lower hospitalization rates due to barriers in access.</div></div><div><h3>Results:</h3><div>We indeed find that all nationalities showed lower hospitalization rates than Austrians, except for Germans, who exhibit a similar healthcare usage to Austrians. Although around 20% of the population has a migration background, non-Austrian citizens account for only 9.4% of the hospital patients and 9.79% of hospital nights. However, results for readmission rates are much more divergent. Nationalities like Hungary, Romania, and Turkey (females) show decreased readmission rates in line with the healthy migrant effect. Patients from Russia, Serbia, and Turkey (males) show increased readmissions, suggesting that their lower hospitalization rates are more likely due to access barriers.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion:</h3><div>Considering the surge in international migration, our findings shed light on healthcare access, usage behaviours and gender differences across patients with different nationalities, offering new insights and perspectives.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100340"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144867412","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Socioeconomic inequalities in mortality among Italian and immigrant residents: A longitudinal population-based study","authors":"Martina Ventura ,&nbsp;Alessio Petrelli ,&nbsp;Anteo Di Napoli ,&nbsp;Sara Leone ,&nbsp;Enrico Grande ,&nbsp;Marilena Pappagallo ,&nbsp;Luisa Frova","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100316","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100316","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>A socioeconomic mortality gradient, favourable to the most advantaged social groups, has been documented in high migratory pressure (HMPCs) and highly developed countries, including Italy. However, little is known about how this association differs between natives and immigrants. This study aimed to evaluate the association between education level, occupational class and mortality among Italian and immigrant residents.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Using a longitudinal design, the 2011 Italian Census population was followed up to 2019. All-cause mortality was retrieved by record linkage with the Causes of Death register. The association between education/occupational class and mortality was evaluated in subjects aged 30–64, separately by sex, citizenship/macro area of origin. Mortality rate ratios (MRR) and 95 % confidence intervals were estimated using negative binomial regression models.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Of the 23,572,516 subjects analysed, 7 % were immigrants from HMPCs; of the 410,746 deaths, 3 % were from HMPCs. Among Italians, a mortality gradient by education was observed (low/high adjMRR: 2.37 [2.16–2.60] males; 1.79 [1.64–1.96] females), whereas a weaker association with no trend was found for HMPC immigrants (adjMRR: 1.12 [1.00–1.25] males; 1.12 [1.00–1.26] females). Regarding occupational class, for immigrants from HMPCs, a higher mortality was observed in male “farmers” and “inactives” compared to “non-manual workers” (adjMRR = 1.31 [1.06–1.61] and adjMRR = 1.67 [1.50–1.85], respectively); and in females for “inactive” subjects (adjMRR = 1.48 [1.35–1.62]).</div><div>A higher mortality for the less educated was observed for males from Romania, India and China, and for females from Central-Eastern Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa and Central and South America. A lower mortality was found for the least educated from Morocco.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The higher mortality among less educated subjects was confirmed among Italians, while it was less evident among immigrants from HMPCs. However, differences observed between citizenships, macro-areas of origin and sex highlight the need for social policies accounting for specific risk factors and cultural specificities affecting correct lifestyles and health service access.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100316"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143563741","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Increased risk of adverse maternal pregnancy outcomes among undocumented migrants in Norway","authors":"Ragnhild Misje ,&nbsp;Frode Eick ,&nbsp;Odd Martin Vallersnes ,&nbsp;Heidi E. Fjeld ,&nbsp;Ingvil K. Sørbye ,&nbsp;Cecilie Dahl","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100318","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100318","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Migrants are known to have an increased risk for adverse complications during delivery. However, it is not known whether undocumented migrants have a different risk profile compared to documented migrants and non-migrants. Better knowledge about undocumented migrants’ reproductive outcomes is crucial to enable targeted preventive interventions.</div></div><div><h3>Method</h3><div>We performed a historical register-based population study based on numbers from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway (MBRN) from 1999 to 2020. Women aged 18–49 years with singleton births were included, in total 1,247,537 births. Legal status, i.e., undocumented migrants (without a Norwegian identity number), documented migrants (with a Norwegian identity number and born abroad) and non-migrants (with a Norwegian identity number and born in Norway), was used as the exposure. We used logistic regression to estimate the association between legal status and adverse maternal birth outcomes.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>In total 5856 undocumented migrant women gave birth during the study period, representing 0.5 % of all births in Norway. Undocumented migrants had an odds ratio (OR) of 1.39 (95 % Confidence Interval (CI) 1.28–1.50) for an acute CS and OR=0.86 (95 % CI 0.76–0.98) for a planned CS, both compared to non-migrants. Similarly, the OR for severe postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) was =1.22 (95 % CI 1.03–1.43) and OR=0.69 (95 % CI=0.56–0.85) for anal sphincter injury. None of the results were significantly different when documented migrants were used as the reference group.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Undocumented migrants have an increased risk of adverse maternal birth complications compared to non-migrants, but not different from documented migrants. This indicates that for maternal birth complications, factors concerning migration may affect the risk profile to a larger degree than legal status.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100318"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143550339","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Migrant women’s experience of antenatal care in an urban and rural setting in north and North-West Thailand: A cross sectional survey","authors":"Taco Jan Prins ,&nbsp;Nunnapus Rueanprasert ,&nbsp;Prapatsorn Misa ,&nbsp;Anchayarat Puttanusegsan ,&nbsp;Jasper Ko Ko Aung ,&nbsp;Natasha Herber ,&nbsp;Myo Myo ,&nbsp;Marcus J Rijken ,&nbsp;Michele van Vugt ,&nbsp;Chaisiri Angkurawaranon ,&nbsp;Rose McGready","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100333","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100333","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Nearly 50 % of women in low- and middle-income countries fail to obtain adequate antenatal care due to barriers in reaching the health facility. A key element of the quality of care is women’s perception of treatment they receive. This study aims to compare the perspectives of urban and rural migrant women from Myanmar in Thailand and the obstacles they face when trying to access care.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>From October-2023 to May-2024, a survey was conducted among migrant women, 74 at Sarapee hospital in Chang Mai Province, and 148 at the clinics of Shoklo Malaria Research Unit (SMRU), Tak Province. Questions based on REPRO-Q were used for scoring satisfaction in several domains using a Likert scale ranging from dissatisfied to satisfied.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The majority of women in Sarapee and SMRU reported pleasant visits, 86.5 % (64/74), 99.3 % (144/145) respectively. Disrespectful behaviour against migrant women was low and mentioned by 14.9 % (11/74) in Sarapee and 1.4 % (2/148) at SMRU. The women attending care at Sarapee reported significantly lower satisfaction 60.8 % (45/74) on being able to refuse examination or treatment compared to women attending care in SMRU 83.0 % (122/147) P &lt; 0.001.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Both urban and rural settings had high rates of perceived pleasant visits and recommending the service to friends, although this could result from hesitancy to give negative feedback. At this critical stage of the life course both institutions can improve, to eliminate experiences of perceived disrespectful behavior.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100333"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143890683","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Navigating healthcare pathways: Cascade of prevention and care for chronic viral hepatitis in asylum seekers and refugees. A multicenter analysis in Northern Italy","authors":"Beatrice Formenti ,&nbsp;Roberto Benoni ,&nbsp;Jacopo Testa ,&nbsp;Giulia Bertoli ,&nbsp;Giacomo Stroffolini ,&nbsp;Maria Grazia Pizzi ,&nbsp;Barbara Menzaghi ,&nbsp;Niccolò Ronzoni ,&nbsp;Paola Magro ,&nbsp;Issa El Hamad ,&nbsp;Carla Scolari ,&nbsp;Angiola Spinetti ,&nbsp;Serena Zaltron ,&nbsp;Francesco Castelli ,&nbsp;Valentina Marchese ,&nbsp;Alberto Matteelli","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100307","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100307","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Viral hepatitis is a leading cause of mortality and a global public health challenge that, until recently, has been largely neglected as a health priority. This study describes the prevalence of viral hepatitis B and C in asylum seekers and refugees who participated in screening across three cities in Northern Italy. The analysis highlights significant pitfalls in linkage and retention in care, as well as factors associated with continuing or discontinuing the healthcare pathways, controlling for WHO Region of origin, gender, age and study site. Hospital records provided demographic and clinical data. Screening for HBV, HCV, and HIV was conducted, followed by clinical management and vaccination where appropriate. Multinomial logistic regression identified distinct care pathways. Of 1,514 participants, 80.2 % underwent screening, with 87.3 % testing negative for all infections. For those with chronic infections, 20.8 % missed their first infectious disease consultation, and only 39.3 % were retained in care after one year. Among the 591 individuals (55.8 % of the total) eligible for HBV vaccination, 10.0 % (59 out of 591) actually received the vaccine. Seven distinct care pathways were identified, where significant differences were observed based on the region of origin and the specific study site, highlighting the impact of local healthcare infrastructure and support systems. This study highlights the critical need for innovative, intersectoral and community-based approaches that are responsive to migrants' needs and perspectives. Key recommendations include enhancing linkage to care, improving followup strategies, and establishing a robust national and European network to ensure continuity of care and to integrate public health efforts across the entire care pathway and deliver fair and equitable healthcare..</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100307"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143101956","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Examining the role of social environment on COVID-19 infections and vaccine uptake among migrants in Japan: Findings from nationwide surveys in 2021 and 2023","authors":"Yuanyuan Teng ,&nbsp;Clive E. Sabel ,&nbsp;Tomoya Hanibuchi ,&nbsp;Tomoki Nakaya","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100357","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100357","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Studies have shown that migrants and ethnic minority groups were disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, yet the role of the social environment in shaping their vulnerabilities remains underexplored in Japan. This study explored the experiences of migrants in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic and examined the association between social environmental factors (i.e., population density, neighborhood deprivation, ethnic density, and social networks) and both COVID-19 infections and vaccination uptake. Two nationwide online surveys were conducted in 2021 and 2023 to capture migrants' experiences and analyze these associations during the middle and waning stages of the pandemic. Modified Poisson regressions with robust standard errors were applied for the analysis. The findings revealed the complex and evolving influence of social environmental factors on infections and vaccination uptake as the pandemic progressed. Larger neighborhood ties with co-nationals were associated with a higher risk of infection in 2021, while neighborhood population density, neighborhood deprivation, and ethnic density showed no significant association with infection in both surveys. Regarding COVID-19 vaccination, more social contacts with Japanese natives were negatively associated with vaccine hesitancy in 2021 and incomplete vaccination in 2023. Additionally, neighborhood deprivation was positively associated with vaccine hesitancy and incomplete vaccination in 2021 before adjusting for other variables. In anticipation of future pandemics, customized programs should be developed to address the unique healthcare needs of migrants and tailored to different stages of the pandemic.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100357"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145227183","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Health for all? A cost-utility evaluation of Colombia's policy to enroll Venezuelan migrants (2021–2023)","authors":"Oscar Espinosa ,&nbsp;Paul Rodríguez ,&nbsp;Valeria Bejarano ,&nbsp;Santiago León ,&nbsp;José Luis Ortiz","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100374","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100374","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>From 2021 to 2023, Colombia implemented a national policy to expand health insurance coverage for over 1.4 million Venezuelan migrants through its subsidized health insurance system, which provides universal health coverage to low-income Colombian populations. This study evaluates the cost-utility of the intervention, focusing on its health and economic returns.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We conducted a cost-utility analysis by translating government expenditure per enrolled migrant into health outcomes (QALYs/YLLs) using Colombia-specific cost-effectiveness thresholds. Health benefits were measured in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained and years of life lost (YLLs) averted. Colombia-specific cost-effectiveness thresholds (CETs) were used to estimate outcomes, and an internal rate of return (IRR) analysis assessed the program's social profitability.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The intervention generated an estimated 10,259 QALYs gained or 11,843 YLLs averted between 2021 and 2023. The IRR reached 27.5% when QALYs were valued at 100% of Gross Domestic Product per capita, indicating strong social returns. Women and adults aged 19–44 showed the greatest health gains, with urban areas receiving the highest benefits. This evidence demonstrates that even health policies can yield high social returns, providing a model for other countries navigating large-scale migration.</div></div><div><h3>Discussion</h3><div>Expanding subsidized health insurance to migrants proves to be a highly cost-effective policy. This analysis supports Colombia’s approach as a scalable and impactful model for inclusive public health aligned with universal health coverage goals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100374"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145525558","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}