Journal of Migration and Health最新文献

{"title":"Care and decision-making at the end of life for migrants living in the Netherlands: An intersectional analysis","authors":"Marieke Torensma ,&nbsp;Xanthe de Voogd ,&nbsp;Roukayya Oueslati ,&nbsp;Irene G.M. van Valkengoed ,&nbsp;Dick L. Willems ,&nbsp;Bregje D. Onwuteaka-Philipsen ,&nbsp;Jeanine L. Suurmond","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2024.100293","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2024.100293","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As migrant populations age, the care system is confronted with the question how to respond to care needs of an increasingly diverse population of older adults. We used qualitative intersectional analysis to examine differential preferences and experiences with care at the end of life of twenty-five patients and their relatives from Suriname, Morocco and Turkey living in The Netherlands. Our analysis focused on the question how – in light of impairment – ethnicity, religion and gender intersect to create differences in social position that shape preferences and experiences related to three main themes: place of care at the end of life; discussing prognosis, advance care, and end-of-life care; and, end-of-life decision-making.</div><div>Our findings show that belonging to an ethnic or religious minority brings forth concerns about responsive care. In the nursing home, patients’ minority position and the interplay thereof with gender make it difficult for female patients to request and receive responsive care. Patients with a strong religious affiliation prefer to discuss diagnosis but not prognosis. These preferences are at interplay with factors related to socioeconomic status. The oversight of this variance hampers responsive care for patients and relatives. Preferences for discussion of medical aspects of care are subject to functional impairment and faith. Personal values and goals often remain unexpressed. Lastly, preferences regarding medical end-of-life decisions are foremost subject to religious affiliation and associated moral values. Respondents’ impairment and limited Dutch language proficiency requires their children to be involved in decision-making. Intersecting gendered care roles determine that mostly daughters are involved.</div><div>Considering the interplay of aspects of social identity and their effect on social positioning, and pro-active enquiry into values, goals and preferences for end-of-life care of patients and their relatives are paramount to achieve person centred and family-oriented care responsive to the needs of diverse communities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100293"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11780154/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143068438","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":"Syrian refugee and diaspora healthcare professionals: Case studies from the eastern mediterranean and European regions","authors":"Aula Abbara ,&nbsp;Munzer Alkhalil ,&nbsp;Kinan Wihba ,&nbsp;Omer Abdrabbuh ,&nbsp;Diana Rayes ,&nbsp;Andrew Ghobrial ,&nbsp;Manar Marzouk ,&nbsp;Fadi Halabi ,&nbsp;Mahmoud Hariri ,&nbsp;Abdulkarim Ekzayez","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2024.100298","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2024.100298","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Thousands of Syrian healthcare professionals have been forced to leave Syria since the onset of the uprisings in March 2011 and subsequent descent into conflict. Initially, many stayed in the eastern mediterranean region; however, as the conflict became increasingly protracted and employment policies for Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) became increasingly restrictive, some moved elsewhere, particularly to Germany and the United Kingdom, both of which have aimed to capitalise on both refugee and diaspora HCPs to support human resources gaps in their health systems. Our aim is to explore the different policy practices towards Syrian refugee and diaspora HCPs in the eastern mediterranean and European regions. Methods: We completed a narrative literature review and held a closed, virtual workshop in November 2022 in which 45 participants, most of whom had lived experience in the different refugee hosting contexts, participated. This allowed us to probe the primary themes arising from the literature review and the authors’ observations and present our findings as case studies. Results: We explore through case studies from countries near Syria (Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt) and in Europe (Germany, UK) different policies which support or restrict entry into the health workforce. For host countries, those which implement policies that support retraining, accreditation and entry into the workforce have the potential for sustained and cost-effective benefit to their health systems; the impact of this on the HCPs and health system needs further exploration. Without such policies, Syrian HCPs are forced to work in the informal health sector such as in Lebanon or Egypt, leading to potential exploitation and security risks. Discussion: Now is an important opportunity to support Syrian and other refugee HCPs who have been forced to leave their homes to capitalise on their skills to explore the impacts of potentially effective policies and interventions. Such policies that aim to invest in refugee HCPs’ skills, further develop their aptitudes, and potentially establish a connection between them and their homeland in a mutually beneficial manner for both health systems in exile and in their homeland. Nonetheless, this topic still has large research gaps and remains in need of urgent research and data, particularly in view of the fall of the Syrian regime in December 2024 and its potential impacts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100298"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143101963","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":"Time in the United States and walking for physical activity among Black Californians: Findings from the California Health Interview Survey (2012–2017)","authors":"Kougang Anne Mbe ,&nbsp;Mark Fedyk ,&nbsp;Sheryl L. Catz ,&nbsp;Christiana Drake ,&nbsp;Julie T. Bidwell ,&nbsp;Janice F Bell","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100315","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100315","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>No studies examine associations between acculturation and physical activity (PA) in California's foreign-born Black population, even though rates of PA are lower in Black populations, lower PA rates are a risk for cardiovascular disease, and this population is growing. Further, despite differences in CVD and PA by sex and mental health status; no studies have examined whether these factors modify associations between acculturation and PA.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We used the California Health Interview Survey (2012–2017) and fully adjusted, survey-weighted regression models to examine associations between time in the US as a proxy for acculturation (i.e., foreign-born &lt;10 years in the US, foreign-born ≥10 years in the US) and walking for PA [leisure time (LTPA) and transportation-related (TRPA)] among Black Californians (<em>n</em> = 5,952). We also tested effect modification by sex and mental health status.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>About 7 % in the sample were foreign-born. In the adjusted model of TRPA, the odds of walking for PA were significantly higher in the foreign-born group living &lt;10 years in the US (OR = 8.63; 95 %CI: 2.49, 29.86; <em>p</em> &lt; 0.01) and no different in the foreign-born group living ≥10 years in the US (OR = 1.05; 95 % CI: 0.62, 1.75; <em>p</em> = 0.85), compared to US-born Black Californians. We found no effect modification of the associations by sex or mental health, except by frequency of feeling depressed.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Some foreign-born Black Californians have higher odds of walking for PA related to transportation than their US-born counterparts. Future research is needed to examine the role of mental health status on PA levels of this immigrant group.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100315"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143419152","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":"Determinants of HIV viral load suppression rates in Amhara region, Ethiopia with a large number of internally displaced people","authors":"Gizachew Yismaw ,&nbsp;Muluken Azage Yenesew ,&nbsp;Tegegn Kebebaw ,&nbsp;Leslie Hinyard ,&nbsp;Asaminew Gizaw ,&nbsp;Alemitu Mequanint ,&nbsp;Christian Hendrix ,&nbsp;Getahun Abate","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100304","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100304","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>The Amhara region in Ethiopia has been affected by a war that led to displacement of millions of people. This study was conducted with the objectives of evaluating HIV viral suppression rates, assessing viral load (VL) testing turnaround time (TAT) and pilot testing of a new webapp to make VL results available in real time while the health system is affected by large numbers of internally displaced people (IDP).</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Data was obtained from 7 HIV VL testing centers that serve 378 anti-retroviral treatment centers. Viral load (VL) suppression rates and VL result turnaround time (TAT) were used as markers of effectiveness of HIV control.</div></div><div><h3>Findings</h3><div>A total of 98,957 records were analyzed. Patients at three of the seven VL testing sites including Debre-Birehan Referral Hospital (aOR 1.87, 95 CI [1.63–2.14]), Debre-Markos Referral Hospital (aOR 1.76, 95 CI [1.61–1.93]) and University of Gonder (aOR 2.28, 95 CI [2.07–2.51]) had increased risk of virologic failure. TAT between the time VL results were available to the time results were mailed to treatment centers was ≤ 1 week for 61,148 (63.4%) and 2 weeks for 25,172 (26.1%) tests. TAT vary among the 7 VL testing centers.</div></div><div><h3>Interpretation</h3><div>In a region with large numbers of IDP, virologic failure is more common in older age groups. VL and TAT vary by testing centers which could be reflective of ART default and delay in courier mail driven by internal displacement.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100304"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143419153","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":"Effect of a multi-component, participatory social and health promoting intervention on health and wellbeing in refugee families from Syria resettled in Denmark","authors":"Nina Odgaard Nielsen ,&nbsp;Anne Vollen Rafn ,&nbsp;Signe Andersen ,&nbsp;Jan Rafn ,&nbsp;Hanne Kjærsgaard ,&nbsp;Birthe Petersen ,&nbsp;Anne Juul Sønderskov ,&nbsp;Morten Dahl ,&nbsp;Eirikur Benedikz ,&nbsp;Marianne Lindahl","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100338","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100338","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Aim</h3><div>The aim was to evaluate the effect of a multi-component social and health promoting intervention on health and wellbeing in a well-defined group of refugee families 2–4 years after resettlement in Denmark.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This longitudinal open-label comparison study involved 82 individuals from Syria aged 13–53 years comprising an intervention group (IG, <em>n</em> = 50) and a comparison group (CG, <em>n</em> = 32), was conducted from 2019 to 2021. The main outcomes were self-rated health, assessed using a single item question from the Danish National Health Surveys, and mental wellbeing measured by the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS). Objective levels of cholesterol, blood glucose (HbA1c), and blood pressure were also determined. Multiple linear regression models were used to estimate the effect of the intervention on SWEMWBS scores.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>A higher proportion in the IG (38 %) than in the CG (22 %) had rated their general health more positively after the intervention, though the difference was statistically insignificant (<em>p</em> = 0.38). There was a less decrease in SWEMWBS scores in the IG (slope 0.47) than in the CG (slope 0.27) from 2019 to 2020, indicating a positive, but insignificant, effect of the intervention (estimate: 0.20, 95 % CI:0.06 – 0.47, <em>p</em> = 0.13). This tendency of a positive effect was absent in 2021. High participation rate was significantly associated with higher post-intervention SWEMWBS scores (coefficient: 3.45, 95 % CI: 1.86 – 5.03, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.01). No effects on objectively measured biomarkers were observed.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The study demonstrated changes in self-rated health and SWEMWBS scores in the IG and CG, and indicated an overall tendency of a positive effect of the intervention on general health and mental wellbeing among the study participants. The effects might have been more pronounced without the convergence of counteracting factors, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and substantial fear arising from the European repatriation policies debated in 2021.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100338"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144223093","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 migration and cancer in Asia: A narrative analysis of stories told by Filipino migrant domestic workers with breast cancer","authors":"Margo Turnbull,&nbsp;Xiaoyan I. Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100337","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100337","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This article presents the narrative analysis of interview data collected from 15 migrant domestic workers (MDWs) from the Philippines who were diagnosed with breast cancer in Hong Kong. The analysis draws on a social constructionist understanding of identity as multiple and performed through language, communication, and social interaction to explore how these MDWs narrated their cancer experiences and changing identities as they worked to incorporate serious illness into their lives as MDWs. The narratives of these MDWs highlight their multiple and changing identities as they move and communicate across places, systems of migration and networks of relationships.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100337"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144204230","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":"The transition of legal status among Korean immigrants in the United States: immigration story, challenges, and mental health","authors":"Chulwoo Park ,&nbsp;Airi Irene Trisnadi","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100359","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100359","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>With an increase in the Asian immigrant population, Koreans are among the top five Asian immigrants in the U.S. When immigrants move to the U.S., many encounter challenges related to obtaining, transitioning, or maintaining their legal status. Temporary immigration visa, including H1-B working visas and F-1 student visas, allows immigrants to move to or remain in the U.S. Immigrants planning to stay in the U.S. are required to renew their working visa or obtain a green card or U.S. citizenship. While existing studies focused on the challenges of obtaining legal status, there is little emphasis on the immigration experiences of Korean immigrants. This study aimed to examine the challenges faced by Korean immigrants in obtaining primary legal status when coming to the U.S. and transitioning to their current legal status after moving to the U.S. Furthermore, this study assessed the relationship of change in legal status with experiences of racism and discrimination and immigrant mental health.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A qualitative study was conducted with 24 participants through an online survey for demographic data collection, followed by semi-structured in-depth interviews. Participants consisted of Korean immigrants who attended a Korean Christian church in the San Francisco Bay Area. Interviews were conducted between March 2023 and July 2023.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The majority of immigrants came to the U.S. with an F-1 student visa and currently hold an H1-B visa, green card, or U.S. citizenship. While immigrants faced relatively few challenges in obtaining their primary legal status before coming to the U.S., many struggled with the transition from an F-1 student visa to an H1-B working visa. Common challenges included finding company sponsorship and being selected in the visa lottery. In addition, immigrants experienced an additional set of challenges through racism or discrimination and cultural shocks upon moving to the U.S., which contributed to their mental health.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>This study provided a new perspective on the challenges encountered by Korean immigrants, focusing on the differences in obtaining their primary legal status and transitioning to their current legal status. We showed the importance of assessing the effects of change in legal status on the psychological well-being of Korean immigrants by looking into the immigrants' experiences of racism and discrimination and analyzing the immigrants' mental inconsistencies of their expectations versus reality. These findings open the way for future research on Asian immigrants in the U.S. and contribute to the development of U.S. immigration policies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100359"},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145157591","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 vulnerabilities of undocumented central and eastern European migrants in Switzerland","authors":"Zsolt Temesvary,&nbsp;Sabrina Roduit ,&nbsp;Matthias Drilling","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100327","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100327","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Destitute Central and Eastern European migrants, including homeless people, beggars, and sex workers, are in a highly vulnerable position in Switzerland. In the absence of residence permits, their access to health services and insurance is severely limited, and they suffer from institutional discrimination in Swiss medical facilities. The aim of this study is to examine the forms of health vulnerabilities of destitute mobile Eastern European citizens in Geneva and Zürich. To do this, we carried out narrative-biographical interviews with destitute migrants (<em>n</em> = 38) on their level of access to medical facilities and insurance. The results confirm that our respondents face severe vulnerabilities in accessing medical services and insurance mechanisms in Switzerland. This tendency is exemplified in the paper through the respondents' experiences of psychiatric disorders and substance abuse. Destitute migrants often transfer health vulnerabilities from their home countries. They mostly receive therapies and medicines in their countries of origin but remain untreated in Switzerland after arrival. Without Swiss health insurance, they turn to medical services only in cases of emergency, and even then, they are either rejected or discharged after very brief treatments. This dangerous combination of individual and systemic health vulnerabilities greatly exacerbates the disadvantages of destitute Eastern Europeans and hampers their integration into Swiss society.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100327"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143783708","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":"The role of selected social and psychological factors in violence against Myanmar migrant women in Thailand.","authors":"Kaung Zaw ,&nbsp;Wirin Kittipichai ,&nbsp;Kanittha Chamroonsawasdi ,&nbsp;Arpaporn Powwattana","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100314","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100314","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Introduction</h3><div>Violence against women (VAW) is a serious human rights violation with significant implications for public health. VAW affects the well-being of women, children, and families. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the structural relationship of a set of variables—attitude towards violence (ATT), self-esteem (SE), relationship with residential unit members (RES), social support (SS), and coping strategies (COP)- influencing VAW and to test the model using the empirical data.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The measurement was deployed to assess violence experienced by 295 Myanmar migrant women residing in Thailand. Data collection involved the use of a self-administered questionnaire consisting of six scales. These scales exhibit Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranging from 0.74 to 0.90. The construct validity was confirmed through confirmatory factor analysis. The structural equation modeling method was employed to test the validity of the model using Mplus Software.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The model provided fitted well with the empirical data (χ2/df =1.74, CFI = 0.93; TLI = 0.91; RMSEA = 0.05; SRMR = 0.06). The VAW accounted for 33 percent of the variance through its set of variables. Among these, ATT, RES, and COP directly impacted VAW, while SS and SE had indirect effects. ATT exhibited the most significant overall influence on VAW, with RES and COP serving as mediators among other antecedents studied in relation to VAW.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>The current findings suggest that violence against Myanmar migrant women residing in Thailand is associated with many factors. Understanding these factors can provide valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders to develop and implement awareness and community-based intervention programs. These findings underscore the importance of targeted strategies to address this issue effectively.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100314"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143388393","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":"Oral health literacy and oral health status of a german adult population with migration background – findings from the MuMi Study","authors":"Berit Lieske ,&nbsp;Christopher Kofahl ,&nbsp;Katrin Borof ,&nbsp;Kristin Spinler ,&nbsp;Anna Poth ,&nbsp;Demet Dingoyan ,&nbsp;Thomas Beikler ,&nbsp;Guido Heydecke ,&nbsp;Ghazal Aarabi","doi":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100309","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmh.2025.100309","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>People with migration background in Germany demonstrate poorer oral health and different oral health behaviors compared to people without migration background. One crucial factor for achieving and maintaining good oral health is a person's oral health literacy. This article presents results on oral health and oral health literacy from the baseline data of the cluster-randomized controlled MuMi study (Promotion of oral health literacy and oral health of persons with migration background).</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Comparative cross-sectional data on oral health and oral health literacy of patients with and without migration background were examined in 40 dental practices in Hamburg, Germany. Oral examination included a full dental status, the degree of caries restoration, and the approximal plaque index (API). To assess oral health literacy, the Oral Health Literacy Profile (OHLP) was used. Associations between migration status and oral health or oral health literacy were analyzed with linear mixed regression, adjusted for age, sex, education level. The relationship between oral health literacy and oral health was calculated using logistic regression.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Participants with and without migration background differed significantly in oral health literacy and clinical parameters of oral health. The former showed significantly lower oral health literacy (lower OHLP-Scores) and poorer oral health (higher API values as well as a more problem-oriented dental service use). Furthermore, the degree of caries restoration is significantly lower among participants with migration background than those without. Lastly, the logistic regression analysis revealed a significant association between better oral health literacy and lower API values.</div></div><div><h3>Discussion</h3><div>Migration background appears to be a risk factor in its own right, as the differences in oral health literacy and oral health status remain even after statistically controlling for several confounders. In order to better reflect the diversity within the population with migration background, information on potential access barriers and migration-related factors must be included in further analyses.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Oral health literacy has been found to be a strong predictor for an individual's oral health outcome. Improving the oral health literacy of patients may help in the efforts to improve oral health behaviors and the overall treatment outcomes. Thus, future research should focus on tailored preventive measures for improving oral health literacy, thereby helping to strengthen equal opportunities in oral health in Germany.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":34448,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Migration and Health","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100309"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143453387","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}