Qualitative assessment of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on migration, access to healthcare, and social wellbeing among Venezuelan migrants and refugees in Colombia

Stevenson, Megan; Guillén, José Rafael; Bevilacqua, Kristin; Arciniegas, Sarah; Ortíz, Jennifer; López, Jhon Jairo; Ramírez, Jhon Fredy; Talero, Miguel Barriga; Quijano, Cindy; Vela, Alejandra; Moreno, Yessenia; Rigual, Francisco; Page, Kathleen R.; Spiegel, Paul; Núñez, Ricardo Luque; Fernández-Niño, Julián Alfredo; Wirtz, Andrea L.

doi:10.1016/j.jmh.2023.100187

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…The protocol was also reviewed in accordance with the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention human research protection procedures. Methodological details and other results have been published previously [14,15,19,20].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Persistent Food Insecurity and Material Hardships: A Latent Class Analysis of Experiences among Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants in Urban Colombia

Wirtz,

Stevenson,

Guillén

et al. 2024

Nutrients

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The causes and conditions of displacement often increase the vulnerability of migrant and refugee populations to food insecurity, alongside other material hardships. We aimed to examine the multidimensional aspects and patterns of food insecurity and other material hardships in a cross-sectional sample of 6221 Venezuelan refugees and migrants in urban Colombia using a latent class analysis. Using multinomial and logistic regression models, we investigated the demographic and migratory experiences associated with identified classes and how class membership is associated with multiple health outcomes among Venezuelan refugees and migrants, respectively. Approximately two thirds of the sample was comprised cisgender women, and the participants had a median age of 32 years (IQR: 26–41). Four heterogeneous classes of food insecurity and material hardships emerged: Class 1—low food insecurity and material hardship; Class 2—high food insecurity and material hardship; Class 3—high income hardship with insufficient food intake; and Class 4—income hardship with food affordability challenges. Class 2 reflected the most severe food insecurity and material hardships and had the highest class membership; Venezuelans with an irregular migration status were almost 1.5 times more likely to belong to this class. Food insecurity and material hardship class membership was independently associated with self-rated health, mental health symptoms, and recent violence victimization and marginally associated with infectious disease outcomes (laboratory-confirmed HIV and/or syphilis infection). Social safety nets, social protection, and other interventions that reduce and prevent material hardships and food insecurity among refugees and migrants, alongside the host community, may improve public health, support development, and reduce healthcare costs. In the long term, regularization and social policies for migrants aimed at enhancing refugees’ and migrants’ social and economic inclusion may contribute to improving food security in this population.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Persistent Food Insecurity and Material Hardships: A Latent Class Analysis of Experiences among Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants in Urban Colombia

Wirtz,

Stevenson,

Guillén

et al. 2024

Nutrients

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“…Existing literature documents perceived stigma and discrimination among Venezuelan refugees and migrants in Colombia, including antimigrant perceptions within the healthcare system. 22 This dynamic contextualises baseline levels of vaccination in the pre-press release period among this population. It also underscores the importance of unambiguous and intentional communication campaigns for migrant and refugee or otherwise marginalised populations.…”

Section: Bmj Global Healthmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Implementation was preceded by qualitative, formative research. 22 Study methods have been previously described. 23 24…”

Section: How This Study Might Affect Research Practice or Policymentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of policy and policy communication on COVID-19 vaccination inequalities among Venezuelan refugees and migrants in Colombia: a comparative cross-sectional interrupted time-series analysis

Gomez,

Fernández-Niño,

Guillén

et al. 2024

BMJ Glob Health

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IntroductionEquitable access to vaccines for migrants and refugees is necessary to ensure their right to health and to achieve public health goals of reducing vaccine-preventable illness. Public health policies require regulatory frameworks and communication to effect uptake of effective vaccines among the target population. In Colombia, the National COVID-19 Vaccination Plan implicitly included Venezuelan refugees and migrants; however, initial communication of the policy indicated that vaccine availability was restricted to people with regular migration status. We estimated the impact of a public announcement, which clarified access for refugees and migrants, on vaccination coverage among Venezuelans living in Colombia.MethodsBetween 30 July 2021 and 5 February 2022, 6221 adult Venezuelans participated in a cross-sectional, population-based health survey. We used a comparative cross-sectional time-series analysis to estimate the effect of the October 2021 announcement on the average biweekly change in COVID-19 vaccine coverage of Venezuelans with regular and irregular migration status.Results71% of Venezuelans had an irregular status. The baseline (preannouncement) vaccine coverage was lower among people with an irregular status but increased at similar rates as those with a regular status. After the announcement, there was a level change of 14.49% (95% CI: 1.57 to 27.42, p=0.03) in vaccination rates among individuals with irregular migration status with a 4.61% increase in vaccination rate per biweekly period (95% CI: 1.71 to 7.51, p=0.004). By February 2022, there was a 26.2% relative increase in vaccinations among individuals with irregular migration status compared with what was expected without the announcement.ConclusionWhile there was no policy change, communication clarifying the policy drastically reduced vaccination inequalities across migration status. Lessons can be translated from the COVID-19 pandemic into more effective global, regional and local public health emergency preparedness and response to displacement.

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“…The resurgence of diseases in Venezuela, including measles, malaria, syphilis, and HIV [42,43], has posed additional challenges for host countries like Colombia, exacerbating the burden on healthcare systems. Venezuelan migrants, particularly vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic due to housing and economic instability [44], have further strained the healthcare infrastructure in cities like Soledad [45]. The spatial-temporal analysis reveals an optimal coverage of urban areas and historically cyclone-affected neighborhoods by public health centers.…”

Section: Evaluation Of Emergency Medical Response Mechanismsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing Urban Resilience: Strategic Management and Action Plans for Cyclonic Events through Socially Constructed Risk Processes

Pérez-Arévalo,

Jiménez-Caldera,

Serrano-Montes

et al. 2024

Urban Science

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Cities will face increasing challenges due to the impacts of global climate change, particularly in the form of cyclonic events, necessitating a deeper understanding and the establishment of effective response mechanisms at both institutional and citizen levels. In this research, we tested the efficiency of crowdsourcing in fostering participatory resilience and improving urban management. The main aim was to design novel and accurate proactive response strategies and mitigate the adverse effects of cyclonic wind events through volunteerism, citizen science, and urban science. To achieve this goal, as a case study, the municipality of Soledad, Colombia was used. This research employed a two-phase methodological approach: (i) initially evaluating the spatial distribution of emergency response resources, and (ii) developing a geo-referenced survey to map, systematize, and categorize data and outcomes. A total of three hundred and seventy-eight residents across five neighborhoods in Soledad, which have experienced a high frequency of atmospheric wind phenomena over the past two decades, were surveyed. The results indicate that the crowdsourcing mechanism effectively enhanced the empirical understanding of atmospheric wind events in Soledad, facilitating the establishment of a geo-referenced volunteer network for real-time responses. Additionally, this study shed light on previously undocumented challenges, in terms of reducing the number of people affected, and the actions that would lead to improved urban development to reduce the impacts of cyclonic events, emphasizing the significance of citizen science in the social construction of risk and disaster risk reduction (DDR) efforts.

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Qualitative assessment of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on migration, access to healthcare, and social wellbeing among Venezuelan migrants and refugees in Colombia

Cited by 9 publications

References 21 publications

Persistent Food Insecurity and Material Hardships: A Latent Class Analysis of Experiences among Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants in Urban Colombia

Persistent Food Insecurity and Material Hardships: A Latent Class Analysis of Experiences among Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants in Urban Colombia

The impact of policy and policy communication on COVID-19 vaccination inequalities among Venezuelan refugees and migrants in Colombia: a comparative cross-sectional interrupted time-series analysis

Enhancing Urban Resilience: Strategic Management and Action Plans for Cyclonic Events through Socially Constructed Risk Processes

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