Civic communicators' view of and approach to health promotion for newly arrived migrants in Sweden

Abstract

For newly arrived migrants, integration is important in promoting health and decreasing health inequities. In a Swedish context, civic orientation is a program to promote integration and increase the chance of employment for newly arrived migrants. The aim of this project was to explore how civic communicators view and approach health promotion in their work with newly arrived migrants in the civic orientation program in Sweden. Data were collected through interviews with eight civic communicators working with newly arrived migrants in civic orientation in the north of Sweden. The interviews followed a semi-structured interview guide and were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic analysis. The analysis resulted in the main theme “To dress the participants for a (healthy) life in Sweden,” with two sub-themes “Knowledge—a key to health” and “Being a guide for participants in a new context.” In their work with civic orientation for newly arrived migrants, civic communicators are involved in health promotion by preparing their participants for a life in Sweden. They work to empower their participants to be able to make informed decisions and live healthy lives by both providing information to enhance knowledge and skills. They also work to guide them through the complexity of being in a new situation and country.

Can extended health communication improve newly settled refugees’ health literacy? A quasi-experimental study from Sweden

“…The need to promote refugee migrants’ health outside of healthcare services is increasingly being recognized as important by local authorities, and stakeholders meeting refugee migrants in different capacities ( Carlzén et al ., 2016 ; Svanholm et al ., 2020 , 2022 ). Health promotion is understood as processes enabling people, families and communities to gain greater control over their lives, as defined by WHO Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion (1986) .…”

“…Health promotion is understood as processes enabling people, families and communities to gain greater control over their lives, as defined by WHO Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion (1986) . A salutogenic approach, promoting individual health resources and skills, is seen as a way to enhance resilience against post-migration stressors and increase the likelihood of successful resettlement and work integration ( Carlzén et al ., 2016 ; Svanholm et al ., 2022 ). Good mental health is for instance associated with better learning outcomes ( Asfar et al ., 2019 ) such as language learning, which increases the likelihood of finding adequate employment, which in turn is a strong determinant for health and well-being ( Drake and Wallach, 2020 ).…”

“…These initiatives, e.g. extended health communication embedded within the CO course, have been evaluated from the perspectives of participants and civic communicators ( Svensson et al ., 2016 ; Al-Adhami et al ., 2021 ; Svanholm et al ., 2022 ) and policymakers, and stakeholders ( Carlzén et al ., 2016 ; Svanholm et al ., 2020 , 2021 ). However, to our knowledge, only one prior study within the setting of CO has used a longitudinal design to investigate health outcomes and self-rated health (SRH) knowledge among newly settled migrants ( Lecerof et al ., 2017 ).…”