Conflict and Health
Volume 13, Issue 1, 2019

Migration patterns & their associations with health and human rights in eastern Myanmar after political transition: Results of a population-based survey using multistaged household cluster sampling (Article) (Open Access)

Parmar P.K.* , Barina C. , Low S. , Tun K.T. , Otterness C. , Mhote P.P. , Htoo S.N. , Kyaw S.W. , Lwin N.A. , Maung C. , Moo N.M. , Oo E.K.S. , Reh D. , Mon N.C. , Zhou X. , Richards A.K.
  • a Division of Global Emergency Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Southern California, 1975 Zonal Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90033, United States
  • b Community Partners International, 2550 Ninth St. Suite 111, Berkeley, CA 94710, United States, Clinton Health Access Initiative, Hanoi, Viet Nam
  • c Community Partners International, 2550 Ninth St. Suite 111, Berkeley, CA 94710, United States, International Organization for Migration, Mogadishu, Somalia
  • d Community Partners International, 2550 Ninth St. Suite 111, Berkeley, CA 94710, United States
  • e Community Partners International, 2550 Ninth St. Suite 111, Berkeley, CA 94710, United States, Washington State Department of Health, Tumwater, United States
  • f Burma Medical Association (BMA), Mae Sot, Thailand, Health Information Systems Information Group (HISWG), Mae Sot, Thailand
  • g Burma Medical Association (BMA), Mae Sot, Thailand
  • h Back Pack Health Worker Team, Mae Sot, Thailand
  • i Burma Medical Association (BMA), Mae Sot, Thailand, Back Pack Health Worker Team, Mae Sot, Thailand, Mae Tao Clinic, Mae Sot, Thailand
  • j Burma Medical Association (BMA), Mae Sot, Thailand, Back Pack Health Worker Team, Mae Sot, Thailand, Mae Tao Clinic, Mae Sot, Thailand
  • k Health Information Systems Information Group (HISWG), Mae Sot, Thailand, Karen Department of Health and Welfare, Hpa-An, Myanmar
  • l Karen Department of Health and Welfare, Hpa-An, Myanmar
  • m Karenni Mobile Health Committee (KnMHC), Mae Hong Son, Thailand
  • n Mon National Health Committee (MNHC), Sangkhlaburi, Thailand
  • o Department of Medicine, Statistics Core, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, United States
  • p Community Partners International, 2550 Ninth St. Suite 111, Berkeley, CA 94710, United States, Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, University of California, Los Angeles, United States

Abstract

Background: Myanmar transitioned to a nominally civilian government in March 2011. It is unclear how, if at all, this political change has impacted migration at the household level. Methods: We present household-level in-and out-migration data gathered during the Eastern Burma Retrospective Mortality Survey (EBRMS) conducted in 2013. Household level in-and out-migration information within the previous year was gathered via a cross-sectional, retrospective, multi-stage population-based cluster randomized survey conducted in eastern Myanmar. Univariate, bivariate and regression analyses were conducted. Results: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 6620 households across Eastern Myanmar between July and September of 2013. Out-migration outstripped in-migration more than 6:1 overall during the year prior to the survey-for international migration this ratio was 29:1. Most in-migrants had moved to their present location in the study area from other areas in Myanmar (87%). Only 11.3% (27 individuals) had returned from another country (Thailand). Those who migrated out of eastern Myanmar during the previous year were more likely to be male (55.2%), and three times more likely to be between the ages of 15-25 (49.5%) than non-migrants. The primary reason cited for a return to the household was family (26.3%) followed by work (23.2%). The primary reason cited for migrating out of the household was for education (46.4%) followed by work (40.2%). Respondents from households that reported out-migration in the past year were more likely to screen positive for depressive symptoms than households with no migration (PR 1.85; 95% CI 1.16, 2.97). Women in households with in-migration were more likely to be malnourished and had a higher unmet need for contraception. Forced labor, one subset of human rights violations experienced by this population, was reported by more in-migrant (8%) than out-migrant households (2.2%), though this finding did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions: These analyses suggest that opportunities for employment and education are the primary drivers of migration out of the household, despite an overall improvement in stability and decrease in prevalence of human rights violations found by EBRMS 2013. Additionally, migration into and out of households in eastern Myanmar is associated with changes in health outcomes. © 2019 The Author(s).

Author Keywords

Health Migration Myanmar human rights

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85064986767&doi=10.1186%2fs13031-019-0193-1&partnerID=40&md5=638f74adfc9319caeeeccab80a66e205
DOI: 10.1186/s13031-019-0193-1
ISSN: 17521505
Cited by: 1
Original Language: English