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Project Title
Living and health trajectories of international migrants to Chile: how do they compare to the locals and what are their related costs to the healthcare system?
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1201461
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Start Date
2020

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Individual and structural barriers to Latin American refugees and asylum seekers' access to primary and mental healthcare in Chile: A qualitative study

2020 , Alejandra Carreño-Calderón , CABIESES VALDES, BALTICA BEATRIZ , M. Eliana Correa-Matus , Webster Mavhu

Background Since 2010 there has been a growing population of refugees and asylum seekers in Latin America. This study sought to investigate the perceived experiences and healthcare needs of refugees and asylum seekers of Latin American origin in Chile in order to identify main barriers to healthcare and provide guidance on allied challenges for the public healthcare system. Methods Descriptive qualitative case study with semi-structured interviews applied to refugees and asylum seekers (n = 8), healthcare workers (n = 4), and members of Non-Governmental Organizations and religious foundations focused on working with refugees and asylum seekers in Chile (n = 2). Results Although Chilean law guarantees access to all levels of healthcare for the international migrant population, the specific healthcare needs of refugees and asylum seekers were not adequately covered. Primary care and mental healthcare were the most required types of service for participants, yet they appeared to be the most difficult to access. Difficulties in social integration -including access to healthcare, housing, and education- upon arrival and lengthy waiting times for legal status of refugees also presented great barriers to effective healthcare provision and wellbeing. Healthcare workers and members of organizations indicated the need for more information about refugee and asylum-seeking populations, their rights and conditions, as well as more effective and tailored healthcare interventions for them, especially for emergency mental healthcare situations. Conclusions All participants perceived that there was disinformation among institutional actors regarding the healthcare needs of refugees and asylum seekers in Chile. They also perceived that there were barriers to access to primary care and mental healthcare, which might lead to overuse of emergency services. This study highlights a sense of urgency to protect the social and healthcare needs of refugees and asylum seekers in Latin America.

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A comparative analysis of health status of international migrants and local population in Chile: a population-based, cross-sectional analysis from a social determinants of health perspective

2022 , Isabel Rada , Marcela Oyarte , CABIESES VALDES, BALTICA BEATRIZ

Abstract Background During recent decades intraregional migration has increased in Latin America. Chile became one of the main receiving countries and hosted diverse international migrant groups. Evidence have suggested a healthy migrant effect (HME) on health status, but it remains scarce, controversial and needs to be updated. This study performed a comprehensive analysis verifying the existence of HME and its association with social determinants of health (SDH). Methods We analyzed data from the Chilean National Socioeconomic Characterization Survey (CASEN, version 2017). Unadjusted prevalence of health status indicators such as negative self-perceived health, chronic morbidity, disability, and activity limitations were described in both international migrants and local population. Adjusted associations between these outcomes and sets of demographics, socioeconomic, access to healthcare, psychosocial and migration-related SDH were tested using multivariate logistic regression in each population. The HME for each health outcome was also tested using multivariate logistic regression and sequentially adjusting for each set of SDH (ref = Chilean). Results International migrants had lower unadjusted prevalence of all health indicators compared to Chileans. That is, unadjusted analysis revealed an apparent HME in all health outcomes. Age, unemployment, and health care system affiliation were associated with health outcomes in both populations. Psychosocial determinants were both risk and protective for the analysed health outcomes. After adjustment for each set of SDH, the immigrant health advantage was only significant for chronic morbidity. Being migrant was associated with 39% lower odds of having chronic diseases compared to locals (OR: 0.61; 95% CI: 0.44–0.84; P = 0.0003). For all other outcomes, HME disappeared after adjusting by SDH, particularly unemployment, type of health system and psychosocial factors. Conclusions Testing the HME in Chile revealed an advantage for chronic morbidities that remained significant after adjustment for SDH. This analysis shed light on health disparities between international migrants and local population in the Latin American region, with special relevance of unemployment, type of health system and psychosocial SDH. It also informed about differential exposures faced during migration process that could dissolve the HME over time. Evidence from this analytical approach is useful for informing health planning and intersectoral solutions from a SDH perspective.

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Intersections between gender approaches, migration and health in Latin America and the Caribbean: a discussion based on a scoping review

2023 , CABIESES VALDES, BALTICA BEATRIZ , Benelli Velázquez , Alice Blukacz , Sofia Farante , Ietza Bojórquez , Edward Mezones-Holguín

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Healthcare and social needs of international migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America: analysis of the Chilean case

2022 , Alice Blukacz , CABIESES VALDES, BALTICA BEATRIZ , Edward Mezones-Holguín , José Manuel Cardona Arias

International migrants are a particularly vulnerable group in the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Immigrants in Chile tend to experience multidimensional poverty and layers of social vulnerability. Our analysis aims to describe the perceived social and health-related needs of international migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic in Chile in terms of migration as a social determinant of health and layered social vulnerability. We carried out a qualitative analysis of responses to an open-ended question focused on the social and health-related needs linked to the pandemic included in an online questionnaire disseminated during April 2020 aimed at international migrants residing in Chile. The information gathered was thematically analysed. We included 1690 participants. They expressed needs related to health and others linked to the overall socio-economic and political response, employment, material conditions and psychosocial aspects. They also reported needs related to ‘being a migrant’. Additionally, some participants described situations of vulnerability. We analysed their needs and situations of vulnerability identified around the following emerging frames: (a) work and living conditions, (b) regularisation traps and perceived lack of support and (c) and physical and mental health needs. International migrants in Chile report experiencing interrelated layers of social vulnerability during the COVID-19 pandemic, where ‘being a migrant’ exacerbates physical and mental health risks. The issues revealed are immediate and direct public health challenges, as well as different aspects of social vulnerability linked to migratory status, employment and barriers to accessing healthcare that should be addressed through comprehensive policies and measures.

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Barriers and challenges around addressing the mental health of refugees and asylum seekers in Chile

2022 , Blukacz, Alice , CARREÑO CALDERON, ALEJANDRA ANGELICA , CABIESES VALDES, BALTICA BEATRIZ

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Promoting the Participation of “Hard-to-Reach” Migrant Populations in Qualitative Public Health Research during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Chile

2023 , Alice Blukacz , CABIESES VALDES, BALTICA BEATRIZ , OBACH KING, ALEXANDRA ALICE , María Inés Álvarez , Paula Madrid , CARREÑO CALDERON, ALEJANDRA ANGELICA , Isabel Rada

The COVID-19 pandemic has further deepened socioeconomic and health inequities worldwide, especially among populations experiencing social vulnerability, such as international migrants. Sustained lockdowns and social distancing have raised challenges to conducting public health research with hard-to-reach populations. This study aims at exploring strategies to recruit “hard-to-reach” international migrants for qualitative public health research during the pandemic in Chile, based on the authors’ experience. A retrospective qualitative evaluation process was carried out on the recruitment processes of three qualitative research projects focused on international migrants in Chile. All projects were implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, demanding complementary and flexible strategies: (i) social media; (ii) snowball sampling; (iii) referrals from social workers and pro-migrant and migrant-led organizations; (iv) vaccination centers and healthcare centers; and (v) community-based recruitment. The strategies are qualitatively evaluated around seven emerging qualitative categories: (i) feasibility during lockdown periods; (ii) speed of recruitment; (iii) geographical coverage; (iv) sample diversity; (v) proportion of successful interviews; (vi) ethical considerations; and (vii) cost. Engaging hard-to-reach international migrants in public health research during the pandemic required constantly adapting recruitment strategies. Furthermore, relying on strategies that were not only Internet-based promoted the participation of populations with limited access to the Internet and low-digital literacy.

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“Border closure only increased precariousness”: a qualitative analysis of the effects of restrictive measures during the COVID-19 pandemic on Venezuelan’s health and human rights in South America

2023 , Teresita Rocha-Jimenez , Carla Olivari , Alejandra Martínez , Michael Knipper , CABIESES VALDES, BALTICA BEATRIZ

Abstract Background In 2010, a political and social crisis pushed thousands of Venezuelans out of their country; today, seven million Venezuelans live abroad. In addition, during the COVID-19 pandemic, border closure increased and affected specific vulnerable migration flows, such as Venezuelans trying to migrate to Chile through the Northern borders. In this context, there is little evidence of migrants’ health status and needs, their access to health services, and other basic needs (e.g., housing) from a human rights perspective. Therefore, we qualitatively explored the effects of border closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic on Venezuelan migrants’ health and human rights, focusing on access to healthcare in the Northern Chilean border that adjoins Peru and Bolivia. Methods Following a case-study qualitative design, we conducted an ethnography that included participatory observation of relevant sites (e.g., hospitals, main squares, migrant shelters) in Antofagasta, Iquique, and Arica and 30 in-depth interviews with actors in the health sector (n = 7), experts from the non-governmental sector (n = 16), and governmental actors (n = 7) in three large cities close to the Northern border. Results We found four main dimensions: (i) border and migration processes, (ii) specific groups and intersectionality, (iii) barriers to healthcare services, and (iv) regional and local responses to the crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic. Programs characterized by the presence of healthcare providers in the field were essential to attend to migrants’ health needs at borders. Conclusions Coordination between actors is crucial to implement regional protocols that respond to current migration phenomena and migrants’ health needs. Health policies using a human rights approach are urgently required to respond to migrants’ healthcare needs at borders in South America.

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Inequities in mental health and mental healthcare between international immigrants and locals in Chile: a narrative review

2020 , Alice Blukacz , CABIESES VALDES, BALTICA BEATRIZ , Niina Markkula

Abstract Mental health in a context of international migration is a particularly pressing issue, as migration is recognised as a social determinant of physical and mental health. As Chile is increasingly becoming a receiving country of South-South migration, immigrants face mental health inequities, with regards to outcomes and access to care. In order to identify and synthetize mental healthcare inequities faced by international migrants with regards to locals in Chile, a narrative review of the literature on national mental healthcare policies in Chile and a narrative review of the literature on migrants’ mental healthcare in Chile were conducted, with a focus on describing mental health outcomes, policy environment and persisting gaps and barriers for both topics. The existing literature on mental healthcare in Chile, both for the general population and for international migrants, following the social determinant of health framework and categorised in terms of i) Inequities in mental health outcomes; ii) Description of the mental health policy environment and iii) Identification of the main barriers to access mental healthcare. Despite incremental policy efforts to improve the reach of mental healthcare in Chile, persisting inequities are identified for both locals and international migrants: lack of funding and low prioritisation, exacerbation of social vulnerability in the context of a mixed health insurance system, and inadequacy of mental healthcare services. International migrants may experience specific layers of vulnerability linked to migration as a social determinant of health, nested in a system that exacerbates social vulnerability. Based on the findings, the article discusses how mental health is a privilege for migrant populations as well as locals experiencing layers of social vulnerability in the Chilean context. International migrants’ access to comprehensive and culturally relevant mental healthcare in Chile and other countries is an urgent need in order to contribute to reducing social vulnerability and fostering mechanisms of social inclusion. International migration, social determinants of mental health, mental health inequities, social vulnerability, review.

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Health in Chile’s Recent Constitutional Process: A Qualitative Thematic Analysis of Civil Proposals

2022 , CABIESES VALDES, BALTICA BEATRIZ , Sophie Esnouf , Alice Blukacz , Manuel A. Espinoza , Edward Mezones-Holguin , René Leyva

(1) Background: In response to the recent political crisis in Chile, the “Agreement for Social Peace and the New Constitution’’ was approved. We aimed to analyze the health-related civil proposals uploaded to the official website for popular participation in the new constitution in Chile. (2) Methods: We carried out a qualitative thematic analysis of 126 health-related valid proposals. Moreover, we analyzed their link to the Health Goals 2030, established by the Ministry of Health of Chile and to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). (3) Results: Sixteen main categories were reached. In all, they were organized into four main areas: (i) the right to health and the establishment of a universal health system; (ii) effective access to selected healthcare services; (iii) improving health outcomes for all and for the relevant subgroups; and (iv) the social determinants of health, health in all the policies, and community health. We found that these four areas were strongly linked to the Health Goals 2030 for Chile and to the SDGs. (4) Conclusions: Despite the fact that the new constitutional proposal was rejected in September 2022, the civil health-related proposals and the areas of health and healthcare were of interest to the citizens as the request showed a strong demand from the population for participation in matters of health, healthcare, and public health.

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Percepción de discriminación en inmigrantes comparados a nacidos en Chile y su relación con acceso a servicios y resultados de salud

2022 , Marcela Oyarte , CABIESES VALDES, BALTICA BEATRIZ , Manuel Espinoza , María Teresa Valenzuela , DELGADO BECERRA, OROZIMBA IRIS

OBJETIVOS: Comparar la autopercepción de discriminación entre inmigrantes y locales en Chile y analizar la relación entre inmigración y discriminación percibida e inmigración, discriminación y resultados de salud, ajustando por características sociodemográficas y capital social. MÉTODOS: Estudio transversal, utilizando encuesta poblacional (CASEN2017). Se seleccionaron 2.409 inmigrantes (representativos de N = 291.270) y 67.857 locales (representativos de N = 5.438.036) mayores de 18 años encuestados. Se estimaron modelos de regresión logística, considerando la muestra compleja, con discriminación, salud autoevaluada, tratamiento médico, pertenencia al sistema de salud, seguros complementarios de salud, consulta médica y problemas al consultar como variables dependientes, inmigración y discriminación como variables de exposición principal, y capital social y variables sociodemográficas como covariables de los modelos. RESULTADOS: Inmigrantes tuvieron mayor posibilidad de percibir discriminación en general comparado con locales (OR = 2,31; IC95%:1,9–2,9). Sin embargo, esto no ocurre para todos los motivos específicos de discriminación; color de piel y apariencia física fueron las causas de discriminación más frecuentes en inmigrantes. La interacción entre inmigración y discriminación se relacionó significativamente con peores resultados de salud autoevaluada y tratamiento por patologías, en desfavor de los inmigrantes discriminados. Tanto en locales como en inmigrantes la discriminación no se asoció con resultados de acceso a atención en salud, excepto problemas durante la consulta en locales (OR = 1,61; IC95% 1,4–1,8). CONCLUSIONES: En Chile, las experiencias de discriminación se entrelazan con otras formas de rechazo y exclusión social, por lo cual es urgente concientizar a la población para prevenir estas prácticas discriminatorias, sobre todo en la atención en salud y lugares de uso cotidiano. Abordar la discriminación es indispensable para lograr impactar en variables intermedias y resultados de salud. La extensión de los resultados a toda la población inmigrante podría ser de amplia utilidad para profundizar la problemática y mejorar las estimaciones realizadas.

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