Journal of Community Health
Volume 37, Issue 5, 2012, Pages 1110-1118

High prevalence of chronic non-communicable conditions among adult refugees: Implications for practice and policy (Article)

Yun K.* , Hebrank K. , Graber L.K. , Sullivan M.-C. , Chen I. , Gupta J.
  • a Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States, 34th and Civic Center Blvd, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, CHOP North, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States
  • b IRIS-Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services, 235 Nicoll St, New Haven, CT 06511, United States
  • c Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06510, United States
  • d Lahey Clinic, Lahey Ipswich, 36 Essex Road, Ipswich, MA 01938, United States
  • e Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, 317-2194 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
  • f Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, 60 College St, New Haven, CT 06520, United States

Abstract

The global rise in non-communicable disease (NCD) suggests that US-based refugees are increasingly affected by chronic conditions. However, health services have focused on the detection of infectious disease, with relatively limited data on chronic NCDs. Using data from a retrospective medical record review of a refugee health program in the urban Northeast (n = 180), we examined the prevalence of chronic NCDs and NCD risk factors among adult refugees who had recently arrived in the US, with attention to region of origin and family composition. Family composition was included because low-income adults without dependent children are at high risk of becoming uninsured. We found that half of the adult refugees in this sample had at least one chronic NCD (51.1%), and 9.5% had three or more NCDs. Behavioral health diagnoses were most common (15.0%), followed by hypertension (13.3%). Half of adults were overweight or obese (54.6%). Chronic NCDs were somewhat more common among adults from iraq, but this difference was not significant (56.8 vs. 44.6%). Chronic NCDs were common among adults with and without dependent children (61.4 vs. 44.6%, respectively), and these two groups did not significantly differ in their likelihood of having a chronic NCD after adjustment for age and gender (AOR - 0.78, 95% Ci - 0.39, 1.55). This study suggests that chronic NCDs are common among adult refugees in the US, including refugees at high risk for uninsurance. We propose that refugee health services accommodate screening and treatment for chronic NCDs and NCD risk factors, and that insurance outreach and enrollment programs target recently arrived refugees. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012.

Author Keywords

Refugees/chronic diseases Emigrant and immigrant/chronic diseases Refugees/epidemiology

Index Keywords

refugee health care policy health insurance human Refugees middle aged statistics health service Iraq chronic disease Insurance, Health New England family size ethnology Family Characteristics Health Services Needs and Demand United States Young Adult Humans male female risk factor Risk Factors prevalence Article Retrospective Studies adult Health Policy retrospective study
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84866742934&doi=10.1007%2fs10900-012-9552-1&partnerID=40&md5=775ff4bc7634aa7bb4ea29117bcd5a84
DOI: 10.1007/s10900-012-9552-1
ISSN: 00945145
Cited by: 54
Original Language: English