Perspectives on health examination for asylum seekers in relation to health literacy - focus group discussions with Arabic and Somali speaking participants.

Josefin Wångdahl, Ragnar Westerling, Per Lytsy, Lena Mårtensson

Abstract readMulticenter Study

In one paragraph

Article in BMC health services research, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

5citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

Stakeholders' perceptions and experiences of factors influencing the commissioning, delivery, and uptake of general health checks: a qualitative evidence synthesis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025
Pooled it
Access to preventive sexual and reproductive health care for women from refugee-like backgrounds: a systematic review.BMC public health · 2022
Pooled it
Tracking involvement over time: a longitudinal study of experiences among refugee parents involved as public contributors in health research.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2022
Article
"This course is like a compass to us" - a qualitative study on newly settled migrants' perceptions of civic and health orientation in Sweden.BMC public health · 2021
Article
"The system has to be health literate, too" - perspectives among healthcare professionals on health literacy in transcultural treatment settings.BMC health services research · 2021
Article

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Josefin WångdahlDepartment of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala Science Park, Box 564, 751 22, Uppsala, Sweden. josefin.wangdahl@pubcare.uu.se.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4743-8259

Ragnar WesterlingDepartment of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala Science Park, Box 564, 751 22, Uppsala, Sweden.

Per LytsyDepartment of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala Science Park, Box 564, 751 22, Uppsala, Sweden.

Lena MårtenssonInstitution of Department of Neuroscience and Physiology/Occupational Therapy, University of Gothenburg, Box 455, 405 30, Göteborg, SE, Sweden.

Funding

European Refugee Fund (ERF) E 85-292:51-211-12792

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAsylum seekers coming to most countries are offered a specific health examination. A previous study concluded that a considerable proportion of those taking part of it in Sweden had poor experiences of the communication in and the usefulness of this examination and had poor health literacy. The aim of this study was to explore in greater depth the experiences of the health examination for asylum seekers among Arabic- and Somali-speaking participants in Sweden. A secondary aim was to examine experiences and discuss findings using a health literacy framework.

methodsSeven focus group discussions were conducted with 28 Arabic and Somali speaking men and women that participated in a health examination for asylum seekers. Data were analyzed by latent content analysis.

resultsOne overarching theme - beneficial and detrimental - was found to represent the participants' experiences of the health examination for asylum seekers. Three categories were identified that deal with those experiences. The category of "gives some good" describes the examination as something that "gives support and relief" and "cares on a personal level." The category of "causes feelings of insecurity" describes the examination as something that "lacks clarity" and that "does not give protection." The category "causes feelings of disappointment" views the examination as something that "does not fulfil the image of a health examination" and "does not focus on the individual level."

conclusionThe health examination for asylum seekers was experienced as beneficial and detrimental at the same time. The feelings were influenced by the experiences of information and communication before, during and after the examination and on how health literate the organizations providing the HEA are. To achieve more satisfied participants, it is crucial that all organizations providing the HEA become health literate and person-centered.

Indexed as

Health LiteracyAdultAgedArabsCommunicationFemaleFocus GroupsHumansMaleMiddle AgedOrganizationsPersonal SatisfactionRefugeesSomaliaSwedenYoung AdultHealth check-upHealth communicationHealth literacyMigrantsQualitative research

Identifiers

PMID31533817

DOI10.1186/s12913-019-4484-4

PMCPMC6751618

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LicenceCC BY

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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.