Socioeconomic and Health Profile of Haitian Immigrants in a Brazilian Amazon State

AbstractWe analyzed the sociodemographic profile, migration journey, health conditions, and health care access and utilization among recent Haitian immigrants to the Brazilian Amazon state of Mato Grosso. We conducted a cross-sectional study with a probabilistic sample of 452 Haitians. We administered a bilingual questionnaire from December 2014 to February 2015. Data were analyzed using chi square tests to evaluate differences among groups. The majority of participants were married men younger than 35  years old. They mostly came from the Haiti’s Artibonite Department, living in Brazil for less than a year. Half of the participants were employed at the time of the interviews, and 81.8% relied exclusively on the Brazilian Unified Healthcare System for medical care. The overall health profile a nd health care access were good. Haitian migration to Brasil is a case of South–South migration driven by economic needs. Our population had good health status despite socioeconomic challenges.
Source: Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research