Open AccessPublic health crisis in the refugee community: little change in social determinants of health preserve health disparities
Author(s) -
Iris Feinberg,
Mary Helen O’Connor,
Ashli Owen-Smith,
Shanta R. Dube
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
health education research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.601
H-Index - 103
eISSN - 1465-3648
pISSN - 0268-1153
DOI - 10.1093/her/cyab004
Subject(s) - refugee , persecution , famine , public health , economic growth , political science , community health , pandemic , social determinants of health , environmental health , health care , socioeconomics , development economics , medicine , sociology , covid-19 , disease , nursing , politics , infectious disease (medical specialty) , law , economics , pathology
Structural inequities and lack of resources put vulnerable refugee communities at great risk. Refugees flee their country of origin to escape persecution and flee from war, famine and torture. Resettled refugee communities become particularly vulnerable during times of crisis due to limited English proficiency and poor social determinants of health (SDOH), which create barriers to attaining and sustaining health and wellbeing for themselves and their families. The purpose of this case study was to evaluate SDOH among a refugee community in the Southeastern United States. We surveyed the community twice during a 1-year period to assess various elements of SDOH. Among a primarily African and Southeast Asian refugee community, 76% reported difficulty paying for food, housing and healthcare during the first round of surveys. During the second round of surveys at the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic, 70% reported lost income; 58% indicated concern about paying bills. There was little change during the 12-month study period, showing that SDOH are an enduring measure of poor health and wellbeing for this vulnerable refugee community.