Subjective health status and health literacy of African refugees and asylum seekers in Germany: a cross-sectional survey

Subjective health status and health literacy of African refugees and asylum seekers in Germany: a cross-sectional survey Anika Christin Bäumel, Alexandra Sauter, Andrea Weber, Michael Leitzmann, Carmen Jochem International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, Vol. ahead-of-print, No. ahead-of-print, pp.- Many refugees and asylum seekers in Germany experience a high disease burden and low health literacy. The current study aims to focus on assessing these issues among African refugees and asylum seekers in Bavaria, Germany. The authors evaluated their self-perceived health status and health literacy, and identified barriers and gaps in health care utilization, intending to improve health care services for this group.The authors conducted a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study involving 69 refugees and asylum seekers from Ethiopia, Eritrea and Nigeria. The authors performed descriptive and exploratory statistical analyses.The authors found a substantial disease burden in the early stages of resettlement in Germany, particularly mental health symptoms (53.6%) and musculoskeletal problems (47.8%). Challenges in health literacy were observed, such as difficulties in understanding health information and managing emergency situations. Access to interpreters was limited, and understanding treatment certificates was more challenging than using electronic health cards, with 18.2% of participants reporting denial of medical treatment.These findings highlight the need for...
Source: International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Source Type: research