Health profile of adult special immigrant visa holders arriving from Iraq and Afghanistan to the United States, 2009–2017: A cross-sectional analysis

Abstract

Background Between 2,000 and 19,000 Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders (SIVH) from Iraq and Afghanistan resettle in the United States annually. Despite the increase in SIV admissions to the US over recent years, little is known about the health conditions in SIV populations. We assessed the burden of select communicable and noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in SIV adults to guide recommendations to clinicians in the US. Methods and findings We analyzed overseas medical exam data in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Electronic Disease Notification system (EDN) for 19,167 SIV Iraqi and Afghan adults who resettled to the US from April 2009 through December 2017 in this cross-sectional analysis. We describe demographic characteristics, tuberculosis screening results, self-reported NCDs, and risk factors for NCDs (such as obesity and tobacco use). In our data set, most SIVH were male (Iraqi: 59.7%; Afghan: 54.7%) and aged 18-44 (Iraqi: 86.3%; Afghan: 95.6%). About 2.3% of Afghan SIVH and 1.1% of Iraqi SIVH had a tuberculosis condition. About 0.3% of all SIVH reported having chronic hepatitis. Among all SIVH, 56.5% were overweight or had obesity, 2.4% reported hypertension, 1.1% reported diabetes, and 19.4% reported current or previous tobacco use. Iraqi SIVH were 3.7 times more likely to have obesity (95% CI: 3.4-4.0), 2.5 times more likely to report diabetes (95% CI: 1.7-3.5), and 2.5 times more likely to be current or former smokers (95% CI: 2.3-2.7) than Afghan SIVH. Limitations include the inability to obtain all SIVH records, self-reported medical history of NCDs, and the underdiagnosis of NCDs such as hypertension and diabetes because formal laboratory testing for NCDs is not used during overseas medical exams.

Mental Health and its Influencing Factors Among Immigrants with Chronic Diseases in China

“…In this study, the reasons for the high incidence of chronic diseases among Chinese immigrants include the following. First, the average age of the participants in this study was older than that in the other two studies [ 16 , 24 ]. The average age in this study was 52.21 years; however, only 7.4% of the participants were aged 45–64 years in the study of Kumar, and the average age was 42.02 years in the study of Lo.…”

“…A 17-year National Health Interview Survey (1999–2015) identified that the prevalence of chronic diseases among Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican, and Central/South American immigrants was 23.1%, 40.0%, 38.5%, 28.0% and 23.5%, respectively [ 16 ]. A cross-sectional health condition analysis of immigrants from Iraq and Afghanistan to the United States between 2009 and 2017 showed that 56.5% of these immigrants were overweight or obese, 2.4% reported hypertension and 1.1% reported diabetes [ 24 ]. In this study, the reasons for the high incidence of chronic diseases among Chinese immigrants include the following.…”

Nutritional status of Syrian female migrants in Turkey: a cross- sectional study

“…was also found that 35.3% of them were obese as a sign of an unhealthy diet (BMI over 24.9%). Similarly, it was reported that 38% of Iraqi immigrant women were overweight, and hypertension was an important problem with obesity [21]. As an indicator of nutritional deficiency, the prevalence of anemia in Syrian migrant women was 45% [22].…”

A Qualitative Inquiry of Older Afghan Refugee Women’s Individual and Sociocultural Factors of Health and Health Care Experiences in the United States

“…Afghan refugee women have been resettling in the United States since the 1980s as a result of displacement due to protracted wars and conflicts in Afghanistan. Afghan women are now aging and face multiple layers of inequities and challenges to maintaining their health and well-being (Kumar et al, 2020; Siddiq et al, 2020). Particularly, Afghan women may face increased burden of chronic disease and mental health issues and face challenges in accessing preventive health services (Naja et al, 2019; Yun et al, 2012).…”

“…Like other U.S. immigrant and refugee groups, Afghan women are at risk for worsening health outcomes the longer they reside in their country of resettlement. Although prevalence data on chronic diseases among Afghans are limited, emerging research on refugees suggests this population faces increasing rates of chronic diseases the longer they reside in the United States (Kumar et al, 2020; Yun et al, 2012). This may be due to the increased risk of developing chronic health issues in later life, multi-morbidity, sedentary lifestyle, and decreased quality of life (Debesay et al, 2022).…”