ArticleHealth literacy research and practice2020
The Relationship Between Refugee Health Status and Language, Literacy, and Time Spent in the United States.
Article in Health literacy research and practice, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers.
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Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 35 citations in OpenAlex.
- Disability Among Middle Aged and Older Immigrants: Differences by Citizenship, English Proficiency, and Years in United States.Journal of aging and health · 2026Article
- Medication Nonadherence Among US Immigrants: Complex Roles of Insurance, Citizenship, and Length of Time in the United States.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Assessment of Factors Associated with Health Literacy Among Afghan Refugees in Pakistan.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Conceptualizing mental health service delivery for refugee and forcibly displaced communities: A scoping review of service models and frameworks for populations impacted by trauma or displacement.Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy · 2026Article
- "I left my country and the people I love. It gave me hypertension": a qualitative study of social support and hypertension management in refugees.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- "We Should Not Call an Ambulance, Even If We are Very Sick": Ukrainian Refugee Women's Experiences in the United States Healthcare System.Journal of immigrant and minority health · 2025Article
- Emotional dimension associated with the migratory experience of adult refugees and asylum seekers.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Coping Processes of Congolese Refugee Women Newly Resettled in the United States: A Qualitative Exploration.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Sociocultural determinants of health-associated quality of life among Afghan refugees in Pakistan: evidence from a multi-stage cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Article
- Health-related quality of life and associated factors among older refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh residing in Kotayk province of Armenia.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Developing and validating a HEalthCare NAvigation Competency (HECNAC) Scale for refugees in the United States.PloS one · 2025Article
- Insights from the EQUALS4COVID19 study on migrant mental health in Portugal: a cross-sectional mixed-methods approach.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Empowering patients: how accurate and readable are large language models in renal cancer education.Frontiers in oncology · 2024Article
- A collaboration to harmonize COVID-19 health messaging and fill communication gaps during initial U.S. refugee resettlement.Health literacy and communication open · 2024Article
- Barriers and facilitators to self-measured blood pressure monitoring among US-resettled Arab refugees with hypertension: a qualitative study.BMC primary care · 2023Article
- Experiences of Cultural Differences, Discrimination, and Healthcare Access of Displaced Syrians (DS) in Lebanon: A Qualitative Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Creating Understandable and Actionable COVID-19 Health Messaging for Refugee, Immigrant, and Migrant Communities.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Perceptions of the SARS-CoV2 pandemic: a small comparative survey analysis between language preference populations in a United States community health center.Pathogens and global health · 2023Article
- Newly Arrived Migrant Women's Experience of Maternity Health Information: A Face-to-Face Questionnaire Study in Norway.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThere are 3 million refugees living in the United States today whose health and wellbeing may be diminished by not being able to understand and use health information. Little is known about these barriers to health in multiethnic refugee communities.
objectiveThis present study examined (1) the relationship between English proficiency, health literacy, length of time in the US, and health status; and (2) differences in poor health status caused by limited English proficiency and low health literacy individually and in combination to better understand which barriers might be addressed by improving refugee health.
methodsRefugees (N = 136) age 18 to 65 years were recruited using health clinics and refugee resettlement agencies. Survey questions included demographics, health status, health literacy, English language proficiency, social determinants of health, and barriers to getting health care. Interpreters were used as necessary. We used a cross-sectional study with purposeful sampling. KEY
resultsThere is a high correlation (Pearson's r = 0.77) between health literacy and English proficiency; they were moderately correlated with health status (r = 0.40 and 0.37, respectively). Length of time in the US only modestly correlated with health status (r = 0.16). Health literacy and English proficiency taken individually were strong predictors of health status (health literacy odds ratio [OR] = 4.0; 95% confidence interval [1.6-9.9], English proficiency OR = 3.6, confidence interval [1.5-9.0]) but not significant. Their interaction, however, was significant and accounted for most of the effect (log odds for interaction = 1.67, OR = 5.1, p < .05).
conclusionsEnglish proficiency and health literacy individually and in combination facilitate poor health and present health-related barriers for refugees. Length of time in the US for refugees may not correlate with health status despite studies that suggest a change in health over time for the larger immigrant population. [HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2020;4(4):e230-e236.] PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: The combined effects of limited English proficiency and low health literacy can create significant barriers to good health outcomes in refugee populations. Length of time in the US for refugees may not correlate with health status despite studies that suggest a change in health over time for the larger immigrant population.
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