Medical Journal of Australia
Volume 185, Issue 11-12, 2006, Pages 594-597

Barriers to access to health care for newly resettled sub-Saharan refugees in Australia (Article)

Sheikh-Mohammed M. , MacIntyre C.R.* , Wood N.J. , Leask J. , Isaacs D.
  • a School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia, Health Assessment for Refugee Kids, National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  • b School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia, Health Assessment for Refugee Kids, National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  • c Health Assessment for Refugee Kids, National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  • d School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia, Health Assessment for Refugee Kids, National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  • e School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia, Division of Allergy, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Abstract

Objective: To determine barriers that affect access to health care for refugees from sub-Saharan Africa resettled in Sydney. Design: Descriptive epidemiological study and survey. Participants and setting: Parents of newly resettled refugee children seen at a tertiary hospital paediatric clinic between 10 June 2005 and 19 May 2006. Main outcome measures: Socioeconomic indicators, health seeking behaviour, social barriers, and beliefs about health. Results: Parents of 34 of a possible 35 families (97%) agreed to participate. Barriers to accessing health care include language barriers, financial handicap, lack of health information, not knowing where to seek help, and poor understanding of how to access health services. Most refugee families established connections with community and religious groups soon after arrival in Australia. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that most refugee families are not totally isolated in Australia, but form early connections with cultural, social and religious groups of their own ethnic background. These groups provide an opportunity to deliver health education and health information that would improve their access to health services.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

Africa south of the Sahara refugee Australia human social isolation Refugees access to information Health Behavior health belief Community Networks health service social aspect Financing, Personal Epidemiologic Studies language religion unstructured interview Humans male female Socioeconomic Factors Africa cultural factor medical information New South Wales Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice Article health care utilization communicable disease Social Environment migration human experiment health care access health education normal human Patient Acceptance of Health Care ethnicity health care system vaccination mass medium open ended questionnaire health care availability attitude to health Health Services Accessibility health care delivery Child
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-33846102677&partnerID=40&md5=e7e2c69da806dafd0dc1adb0715f5280
ISSN: 0025729X
Cited by: 100
Original Language: English