Abstract
BackgroundMigrants everywhere face several demands for health and maintaining good health and quality of life could be challenging. Iraqis are the second largest refugee group that has sought refuge in the recent years, yet little is known about their health related quality of life (HRQOL). The study aims at assessing the HRQOL among Iraqis living in Malaysia.MethodsA self-administered Arabic version of Sf-36 questionnaire was distributed among 300 Iraqi migrants in Malaysia. The questionnaire taps eight concepts of physical and mental health to assess the HRQOL. Univariate analysis was performed for group analysis (t test, ANOVA) and Multiple Linear Regression was used to control for confounding effects.ResultsTwo hundred and fifty three participants ranging in age from 18 to 67 years (Mean = 33.6) returned the completed questionnaire. The majority was males (60.1%) and more than half of the respondents (59.5%) were married. Less than half (45.4%) and about a quarter (25.9%) reported bachelor degree and secondary school education respectively and the remaining 28.7% had either a master or a PhD degree.Univariate analysis showed that the HRQOL scores among male immigrants were found to be higher than those of females in physical function (80.0 vs. 73.5), general health (72.5 vs. 60.7) and bodily pain (87.9 vs. 72.5) subscales. The youngest age group had significantly higher physical function (79.32) and lower mental health scores (57.62).The mean score of physical component summary was higher than the mental component summary mean score (70.22 vs. 63.34).Stepwise multiple linear regression, revealed that gender was significantly associated with physical component summary (β = - 6.06, p = 0.007) and marital status was associated with mental component summary (β = 7.08, p = 0.003).ConclusionsFrom the data it appears that Iraqi immigrants living in Malaysia have HRQOL scores that might be considered to indicate a relatively moderate HRQOL. The HRQOL is significantly affected by gender and marital status. Further studies are needed to explore determinants of HRQOL consequent to immigration. The findings could be worthy of further exploration.
Highlights
Migrants everywhere face several demands for health and maintaining good health and quality of life could be challenging
In spite of the absence of objective evidence about the effect of the new environment, the data from this study suggests that Iraqi migrants in Malaysia have a relatively moderate Quality Of Life (QOL) and enjoy the same living conditions as the Malaysians
A cross sectional study does not reflect change in health related quality of life (HRQOL) unless repeated at a different point of time. It appears that Iraqi immigrants in Malaysia have HRQOL scores that might be considered to indicate a relatively moderate HRQOL, which like in other studies, is influenced by gender and marital status
Summary
Migrants everywhere face several demands for health and maintaining good health and quality of life could be challenging. Iraqis are the second largest refugee group that has sought refuge in the recent years, yet little is known about their health related quality of life (HRQOL). Human migration has been described as ‘one of the defining issues of the 21st century’ It refers to the movement of a person or group of people from one geographical region to another, across an administrative or a political border, to settle definitively or temporarily [1]. Various types and practices of migration have been identified including orderly migration, return migration, Among the 42 million forcibly displaced people worldwide at the end of 2008, Iraqis form the second largest refugee group, with 1.9 million having sought refuge mainly in neighboring countries [3]. HealthRelated Quality of Life (HRQOL) refers to the patient’s sense of his own health and well-being in the broad areas of physical, psychological and social functioning[6]
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