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. 2021 Aug;23(4):813-823.
doi: 10.1007/s10903-021-01146-2. Epub 2021 Jan 30.

Long-Term Physical Health Outcomes of Resettled Refugee Populations in the United States: A Scoping Review

Gayathri S Kumar  1 , Jenna A Beeler  2 , Emma E Seagle  2 , Emily S Jentes  2
Affiliations

Long-Term Physical Health Outcomes of Resettled Refugee Populations in the United States: A Scoping Review

Gayathri S Kumar et al. J Immigr Minor Health. 2021 Aug.

Abstract

Several studies describe the health of recently resettled refugee populations in the US beyond the first 8 months after arrival. This review summarizes the results of these studies. Scientific articles from five databases published from January 2008 to March 2019 were reviewed. Articles were included if study subjects included any of the top five US resettlement populations during 2008-2018 and if data described long-term physical health outcomes beyond the first 8 months after arrival in the US. Thirty-three studies met the inclusion criteria (1.5%). Refugee adults had higher odds of having a chronic disease compared with non-refugee immigrant adults, and an increased risk for diabetes compared with US-born controls. The most commonly reported chronic diseases among Iraqi, Somali, and Bhutanese refugee adults included diabetes and hypertension. Clinicians should consider screening and evaluating for chronic conditions in the early resettlement period. Further evaluations can build a more comprehensive, long-term health profile of resettled refugees to inform public health practice.

Keywords: Chronic disease; Non-communicable disease; Physical health; Refugees.

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Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest or financial conflicts related to this manuscript.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow of identification, screening, and review of articles during the literature review
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Refugee Processing Center. Refugee Admissions by Region. https://www.wrapsnet.org/admissions-and-arrivals/. Accessed 5 Feb 2020.
    1. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, USA. What is a refugee? https://www.unhcr.org/what-is-a-refugee.html. Accessed 5 Feb 2020.
    1. World Health Organization. Migration and Health. https://www.who.int/migrants/about/mh-factsheet.pdf?ua=1. Accessed 5 Feb 2020.
    1. US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC. Technical Instructions for Panel Physicians. https://www.cdc.gov/immigrantrefugeehealth/exams/ti/index.html. Accessed 21 Feb 2020.
    1. US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Administration for Children & Families, Office of Refugee Resettlement. Refugee Medical Assistance. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/orr/programs/cma/about. Accessed 5 Feb 2020.

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