SynthesisThe Lancet. Global health2019
Effects of non-health-targeted policies on migrant health: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in The Lancet. Global health, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 101 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
101 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 199 citations in OpenAlex.
- Between duty and constraint: a qualitative systematic review of healthcare providers' ethical challenges and moral stressors in caring for undocumented migrants.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2026Pooled it
- Access Barriers to Healthcare for Undocumented Migrants in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Qualitative Systematic Review.Journal of immigrant and minority health · 2025Pooled it
- Health Related Quality of life Amongst Refugees: A meta Analysis of Studies Using the SF-36.Journal of immigrant and minority health · 2024Pooled it
- Federal, State, and Local Immigrant-Related Policies and Child Health Outcomes: a Systematic Review.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2022Pooled it
- Health Risk Behaviours by Immigrants' Duration of Residence: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of public health · 2022Pooled it
- National or population level interventions addressing the social determinants of mental health - an umbrella review.BMC public health · 2021Pooled it
- Socioecological Factors Influencing Sexual Health Experiences and Health Outcomes of Migrant Asian Women Living in 'Western' High-Income Countries: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- Multisectoral Approach to Support Use of Insecticide-Treated Net for Malaria Prevention Among Mobile and Migrant Populations in Myanmar: A Systematic Review.The Journal of infectious diseases · 2020Pooled it
- Immigration Policies as Social Determinants of Health Among International Students in the United States.Journal of immigrant and minority health · 2026Article
- Maternal Stress and Ethnic Disparities in Pre-Eclampsia: The Significance of a Migrant Perspective.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- The Swedish welfare state under threat: new rules and new inequalities.The Lancet regional health. Europe · 2026Article
- Does health early at arrival predict later integration among refugees? A cohort study of Syrians in Norway.International journal for equity in health · 2026Article
- Memory trajectories before and after a negative wealth shock, the United States Health and Retirement Study, 1998-2020.American journal of epidemiology · 2026Article
- Perfect storm: a scoping review of interventions and preparedness strategies at the intersections of climate change, migrant worker health and health systems.BMJ public health · 2026Article
- Migrant status and musculoskeletal complaints in greenhouse horticulture: integrating physical and psychosocial factors.Journal of migration and health · 2026Article
- What has been the impact of western governments' laws and policies on the mental health of asylum seekers and refugees? A systematic-narrative hybrid literature review.Journal of migration and health · 2026Article
- Health in Swedish integration policies - a discourse analysis.International journal of circumpolar health · 2025Article
- Upholding the right to health of forcibly displaced children in Europe.Public health in practice (Oxford, England) · 2025Article
- An intersectional approach to examine low birthweight by migration status in Sweden using register data.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Associations of psychological distress, alcohol and substance use, and HIV risk behaviour in forcibly displaced persons and migrants in Nigeria.Conflict and health · 2025Article
41 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
- Commented on by
Authors and funding
7 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundGovernment policies can strongly influence migrants' health. Using a Health in All Policies approach, we systematically reviewed evidence on the impact of public policies outside of the health-care system on migrant health.
methodsWe searched the PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases from Jan 1, 2000, to Sept 1, 2017, for quantitative studies comparing the health effects of non-health-targeted public policies on migrants with those on a relevant comparison population. We searched for articles written in English, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, French, Spanish, or Portuguese. Qualitative studies and grey literature were excluded. We evaluated policy effects by migration stage (entry, integration, and exit) and by health outcome using narrative synthesis (all included studies) and random-effects meta-analysis (all studies whose results were amenable to statistical pooling). We summarised meta-analysis outcomes as standardised mean difference (SMD, 95% CI) or odds ratio (OR, 95% CI). To assess certainty, we created tables containing a summary of the findings according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation. Our study was registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42017076104.
findingsWe identified 43 243 potentially eligible records. 46 articles were narratively synthesised and 19 contributed to the meta-analysis. All studies were published in high-income countries and examined policies of entry (nine articles) and integration (37 articles). Restrictive entry policies (eg, temporary visa status, detention) were associated with poor mental health (SMD 0·44, 95% CI 0·13-0·75; I
interpretationRestrictive entry and integration policies are linked to poor migrant health outcomes in high-income countries. Efforts to improve the health of migrants would benefit from adopting a Health in All Policies perspective.
fundingSwedish Council for Health, Working Life, and Social Research; UK Medical Research Council; Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.