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Using an IT-Based Algorithm for Health Promotion in Temporary Settlements to Improve Migrant and Refugee Health

The application of the electronic algorithm developed by the Mig-Healthcare project was pilot tested in a sample of migrants and refugees in 2 Reception and Identification Centres (RICs), temporary settlements, in Greece using portable devices. The questions relate to health literacy issues, to ment...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Riza, Elena, Lazarou, Achilleas, Karnaki, Pania, Zota, Dina, Nassi, Margarita, Kantzanou, Maria, Linos, Athena
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8535268/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34682964
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9101284
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author Riza, Elena
Lazarou, Achilleas
Karnaki, Pania
Zota, Dina
Nassi, Margarita
Kantzanou, Maria
Linos, Athena
author_facet Riza, Elena
Lazarou, Achilleas
Karnaki, Pania
Zota, Dina
Nassi, Margarita
Kantzanou, Maria
Linos, Athena
author_sort Riza, Elena
collection PubMed
description The application of the electronic algorithm developed by the Mig-Healthcare project was pilot tested in a sample of migrants and refugees in 2 Reception and Identification Centres (RICs), temporary settlements, in Greece using portable devices. The questions relate to health literacy issues, to mental health, to vaccination history, to lifestyle habits such as smoking, alcohol intake, diet, to the presence of diseases such as heart disease or diabetes, to the use of prevention services and to dental care. A total of 82 adults, 50 women and 32 men, participated. Data analysis showed that 67.1% (55) of the respondents had difficulty in understanding medical information and 57.3% (47) did not know where to seek medical help for a specific health problem. Four main areas of health problems were identified and further action is required: (A) mental health concerns, (B) vaccinations, (C) obesity, and (D) dental hygiene. Direct linkage with the “Roadmap and Toolbox” section of the project’s website gave the respondents access to many sources and tools, while through the use of the interactive map, specific referral points of healthcare delivery in their area were identified. IT-based intervention in migrant and refugee populations in Greece are effective in increasing health literacy levels and identifying areas for health promotion interventions in these groups. Through linkage with the project’s database, access to healthcare provision points and action to seek appropriate healthcare when necessary are encouraged. Given the attenuated vulnerability profile of people living in temporary settlements, this algorithm can be easily used in primary care settings to improve migrant and refugee health.
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spelling pubmed-85352682021-10-23 Using an IT-Based Algorithm for Health Promotion in Temporary Settlements to Improve Migrant and Refugee Health Riza, Elena Lazarou, Achilleas Karnaki, Pania Zota, Dina Nassi, Margarita Kantzanou, Maria Linos, Athena Healthcare (Basel) Article The application of the electronic algorithm developed by the Mig-Healthcare project was pilot tested in a sample of migrants and refugees in 2 Reception and Identification Centres (RICs), temporary settlements, in Greece using portable devices. The questions relate to health literacy issues, to mental health, to vaccination history, to lifestyle habits such as smoking, alcohol intake, diet, to the presence of diseases such as heart disease or diabetes, to the use of prevention services and to dental care. A total of 82 adults, 50 women and 32 men, participated. Data analysis showed that 67.1% (55) of the respondents had difficulty in understanding medical information and 57.3% (47) did not know where to seek medical help for a specific health problem. Four main areas of health problems were identified and further action is required: (A) mental health concerns, (B) vaccinations, (C) obesity, and (D) dental hygiene. Direct linkage with the “Roadmap and Toolbox” section of the project’s website gave the respondents access to many sources and tools, while through the use of the interactive map, specific referral points of healthcare delivery in their area were identified. IT-based intervention in migrant and refugee populations in Greece are effective in increasing health literacy levels and identifying areas for health promotion interventions in these groups. Through linkage with the project’s database, access to healthcare provision points and action to seek appropriate healthcare when necessary are encouraged. Given the attenuated vulnerability profile of people living in temporary settlements, this algorithm can be easily used in primary care settings to improve migrant and refugee health. MDPI 2021-09-28 /pmc/articles/PMC8535268/ /pubmed/34682964 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9101284 Text en © 2021 by the authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Article
Riza, Elena
Lazarou, Achilleas
Karnaki, Pania
Zota, Dina
Nassi, Margarita
Kantzanou, Maria
Linos, Athena
Using an IT-Based Algorithm for Health Promotion in Temporary Settlements to Improve Migrant and Refugee Health
title Using an IT-Based Algorithm for Health Promotion in Temporary Settlements to Improve Migrant and Refugee Health
title_full Using an IT-Based Algorithm for Health Promotion in Temporary Settlements to Improve Migrant and Refugee Health
title_fullStr Using an IT-Based Algorithm for Health Promotion in Temporary Settlements to Improve Migrant and Refugee Health
title_full_unstemmed Using an IT-Based Algorithm for Health Promotion in Temporary Settlements to Improve Migrant and Refugee Health
title_short Using an IT-Based Algorithm for Health Promotion in Temporary Settlements to Improve Migrant and Refugee Health
title_sort using an it-based algorithm for health promotion in temporary settlements to improve migrant and refugee health
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8535268/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34682964
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9101284
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