Challenges in Identifying Refugees in National Health Data Sets

Bibliographic Data

ID11037024
AuthorsWagahta Semere (0000-0001-6560-9747, Wagahta Semere and Emily A. Wang are with the Section of General Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT. Katherine Yun is with the Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. Cyrus Ahalt and Brie Williams are with the Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco.), Katherine Yun (0000-0002-2776-8971, Wagahta Semere and Emily A. Wang are with the Section of General Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT. Katherine Yun is with the Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. Cyrus Ahalt and Brie Williams are with the Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco.), Cyrus Ahalt (Wagahta Semere and Emily A. Wang are with the Section of General Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT. Katherine Yun is with the Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. Cyrus Ahalt and Brie Williams are with the Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco.), Brie Williams (0000-0002-5792-3397, Wagahta Semere and Emily A. Wang are with the Section of General Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT. Katherine Yun is with the Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. Cyrus Ahalt and Brie Williams are with the Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco.), Emily A Wang (0000-0003-1403-6891, Wagahta Semere and Emily A. Wang are with the Section of General Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT. Katherine Yun is with the Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. Cyrus Ahalt and Brie Williams are with the Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco.)
Year2016
Volume106
Issue7
Pages1231-1232
Publication date2016-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-0036 • E-ISSN: 1541-0048
PublisherAmerican Public Health Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2105/ajph.2016.303201
PMID27196649
OpenAlexW2397375379
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited7

Objectives. To evaluate publicly available data sets to determine their utility for studying refugee health. Methods. We searched for keywords describing refugees in data sets within the Society of General Internal Medicine Dataset Compendium and the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research database. We included in our analysis US-based data sets with publicly available documentation and a self-defined, health-related focus that allowed for an examination of patient-level factors. Results. Of the 68 data sets that met the study criteria, 37 (54%) registered keyword matches related to refugees, but only 2 uniquely identified refugees. Conclusions. Few health data sets identify refugee status among participants, presenting barriers to understanding refugees’ health and health care needs. Public Health Implications. Information about refugee status in national health surveys should include expanded demographic questions and focus on mental health and chronic disease

Compendium · Documentation · Environmental health · Geography · Health care · Mental health · Political science · Psychiatry · Public health · Refugee · Computer Science · Education and experiences of immigrants and refugees · Medicine · Migration, Health and Trauma · Nursing · Racial and Ethnic Identity Research · Gerontology

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