Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/222832

Title

Health status and use of health services among recently arrived men with refugee backgrounds: A comparative analysis of urban and regional settlement in South-East Queensland

Author(s)

Correa-Velez, I.;  Barnett, A. G.;  Gifford, S. M.;  Sackey, D.

Abstract

Approximately one-third of refugee and humanitarian entrants to Australia are adult men. Many of these men and their families settle in regional areas. Little is known about the health status of refugee men and the use of health services, and whether or not there are differences between those living in urban and regional areas. This paper reports on the cross-sectional differences in health status and use of health services among a group of 233 recently arrived refugee men living in urban and regional areas of South-east Queensland. Overall, participants reported good levels of subjective health status, moderate to good levels of well-being, and low prevalence of mental illness. Men living in urban areas were more likely to have a long-standing illness and report poorer health status than those settled in regional areas. In contrast, men living in regional areas reported poorer levels of well-being in the environment domain and were more likely to visit hospital emergency departments. Targeted health promotion programs will ensure that refugee men remain healthy and develop their full potential as members of the Australian community. Programs that facilitate refugees' access to primary health care in regional areas may promote more appropriate use of hospital emergency departments by these communities.

Publication type

Journal article

Source

Australian Journal of Primary Health, Vol. 17, no. 1 (Mar 2011), pp. 66-71

Publication year

2011

FOR Code(s)

11 Medical and Health Sciences;  16 Studies in Human Society;  17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences

Keyword(s)

Access to health care;  Adolescent;  Adult;  Aged;  Australia;  Controlled study;  Cross-sectional studies;  Cross-sectional study;  Disease duration;  Emergency ward;  Health care access;  Health care utilisation;  Health program;  Health promotion;  Health services accessibility;  Health status;  Major clinical study;  Mental disease;  Mental health;  Middle aged;  Prevalence;  Primary health care;  Psychological well being;  Queensland;  Refugees;  Regression analysis;  Residence characteristics;  Rural health services;  Rural settlement;  Urban health services;  Urban rural difference

Publisher

CSIRO Publishing

ISSN

1448-7527

Publisher URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/py10051

Copyright

Copyright © 2011 La Trobe University.

Peer reviewed