Migration health research in the United Kingdom

A scoping review

Bibliographic Data

ID16969812
AuthorsRachel Burns (0000-0002-9559-2867, University College London, corresponding author), Claire X Zhang (0000-0002-3463-6969, Public Health England), Parth Patel (0000-0001-8105-0031, University College London), Ida Eley (University College London), Ines Campos-Matos (0000-0002-6480-4310, University College London), Robert W Aldridge (0000-0003-0542-0816, University College London)
Year2021
Volume4
Pages100061
Publication date2021-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Migration and Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2666-6235 • E-ISSN: 2666-6235
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.jmh.2021.100061
PMID34405201
OpenAlexW3179640981
LanguageEN
Citations received15
References cited26

BACKGROUND: One in seven people living in the United Kingdom (UK) is an international migrant, rendering migrants an important population group with diverse and dynamic health and healthcare needs. However, there has been no attempt to map contemporary trends within migration health research conducted in the UK. The aim of this scoping review was to describe trends within migration health research and identify gaps for future research agendas. METHODS: Commission on Migration and Health Conceptual Framework for Migration and Health. RESULTS: In total, 399 studies were included, with almost half (41.1%; 164/399) published in the last five years of the study period between 2015 and 2019 and a third (34.1%; 136/399) conducted in London. Studies included asylum seekers (14.8%; 59/399), refugees (12.3%; 49/399), and undocumented migrants or migrants with insecure status (3.5%; 14/399), but most articles (74.9%; 299/399) did not specify a migrant sub-group. The most studied health topics were specific disease outcomes such as infectious diseases (24.1% of studies) and mental health (19.1%) compared to examining systems or structures that impact health (27.8%), access to healthcare (26.3%), or specific exposures or behaviours (35.3%). CONCLUSIONS: There has been a growing interest in migration health. Ensuring a diverse geographic distribution of research conducted in the UK and disaggregation by migrant sub-group is required for a nuanced and region-specific understanding of specific health needs, interventions and appropriate service delivery for different migrant populations. More research is needed to understand how migration policy and legislation intersect with both the social determinants of health and access to healthcare to shape the health of migrants in the UK

Geography · Kingdom · Library science · Political science · Regional science · Computer Science · Education and experiences of immigrants and refugees · Healthcare Systems and Challenges · Migration, Health and Trauma · Geology