IJERPH, Vol. 18, Pages 2229: Use of Health Services and Unmet Need among Adults of Russian, Somali and Kurdish Origin in Finland

IJERPH, Vol. 18, Pages 2229: Use of Health Services and Unmet Need among Adults of Russian, Somali and Kurdish Origin in Finland International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph18052229 Authors: Çilenti Rask Elovainio Lilja Kuusio Koskinen Koponen Castaneda Equal access to health care is one of the key policy priorities in many European societies. Previous findings suggest that there may be wide differences in the use of health services between people of migrant origin and the general population. We analyzed cross-sectional data from a random sample of persons of Russian (n = 692), Somali (n = 489), and Kurdish (n = 614) origin and the Health 2011 survey data (n = 1406) representing the general population in Finland. Having at least one outpatient visit to any medical doctor during the previous 12 months was at the same level for groups of Russian and Kurdish origin, but lower for people of Somali origin, compared with the general population. Clear differences were found when examining where health care services were sought: people of migrant origin predominantly visited a doctor at municipal health centers whereas the general population also used private and occupational health care. Self-reported need for doctor’s treatment was especially high among Russian women and Kurdish men and women. Compared to the general population, all migrant origin groups reported much higher levels of unmet medical need and w...
Source: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research