Abstract
BackgroundThe war in Syria has led to the biggest refugee crisis of our time. Unaccompanied asylum seeking adolescents (UASA) are a particularly vulnerable subgroup of refugees. This study aims to describe the weight status, health behaviour and disease spectrum of Syrian UASA in comparison to UASA from other world regions.MethodsThe study was conducted as a prospective cross-sectional analysis of health metrics and diagnoses from 346 UASA (78% male; mean age 16 years) between 2011 and 2017. The data was collected in an outpatient clinic for internal and tropical medicine during a systematic medical examination after arrival. Descriptive and bivariate analyses stratified by gender and region/country of origin were performed.ResultsThe general health status of the UASA in most cases was good. Compared to other UASA Syrian UASA had the highest underweight prevalence (16.7%) (p = .013) and the second highest smoking prevalence (37.9%) (p < .001). Diseases at first medical examination mostly were infections and diseases of the digestive system, with significant differences between the regions/countries of origin (p < .001; p < .001, respectively). Syrian UASA had a lower prevalence of infections (28%) and a similar prevalence of mental and behavioural problems (10.3%) than the average of all regions/countries of origin (48.6%; 11%, respectively).ConclusionTailored screening for diseases as well as for health behaviour immediately after arrival in Germany is needed to reduce the individual burden of disease and to offer targeted preventive measures.
Highlights
The war in Syria has led to the biggest refugee crisis of our time
98.4% of all Syrian Unaccompanied asylum seeking adolescents (UASA) that applied for asylum in Germany in 2016 got a permit to stay [8] with the perspective of an integration into the German society to a greater extent compared to other asylum seeking groups
Most of the 74 female UASA came from sub-Saharan Africa (39%; n = 29), West Asia (19%; n = 14, without Syrian UASAs), Syria (16%; n = 12), and South Asia (16%; n = 12)
Summary
Unaccompanied asylum seeking adolescents (UASA) are a vulnerable subgroup of refugees. Persistent armed conflicts, and the war in Syria, have caused an increasing number of refugees. A vulnerable subgroup of these are unaccompanied or separated children [3]. More than one quarter (28%) of the UASA that came to Germany in 2016 was from Syria [8] and the ongoing war in Syria may further increase the number of UASA applying for asylum in Germany during the years. 98.4% of all Syrian UASA that applied for asylum in Germany in 2016 got a permit to stay [8] with the perspective of an integration into the German society to a greater extent compared to other asylum seeking groups
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