Abstract
PurposeThe purpose of this rapid scoping review was to map existing literature on risk communication strategies implemented by authorities and aimed at vulnerable immigrants in the context of pandemics.Design/methodology/approachExisting literature on the topic was charted in terms of its nature and volume by summarizing evidence regarding the communication strategies. Literature searches were conducted in Academic Search Premier and CINAHL, databases were searched from 2011 to present on March 31, 2021.FindingsFive articles met the criteria and were included in this review, pointing at limited research in this area. The findings indicated that a close interaction between communication authorities and immigrants is important. Community education, building trust in communication sources, clear risk communication and inclusive decision-making among all were found to be important when communicating health risks to immigrants.Research limitations/implicationsThe primary limitation of this rapid scoping review is that the literature searches were conducted in only two databases, namely, Academic Search Premier and CINAHL. A wider search across several other databases could have given more profound results. Furthermore, some studies where immigrants were conceptualized as, for instance, “disadvantaged groups” might be overseen due to a choice of the search strategy used in this study. There are also certain limitations related to the studies included in this review.Practical implicationsIdentifying efficient ways of conveying recommendations may further assist authorities and scientists in developing more effective health-related risk communication.Originality/valueThis study covered health-related risk communication in the context of pandemics, addressing the need to investigate different groups of immigrants and the challenges related to communicating risks to these groups.
Highlights
On January 30, 2020, the Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization (WHO) agreed that the COVID-19 outbreak met the criteria of Public Health Emergency of International Concern and proposed temporary recommendations, which were advised to be implemented by governments with the aim to prevent the spread of the disease internationally (World Health Organization, 2020)
Our review identified a lack of studies focusing on strategies of communicating health-related risks to vulnerable groups of immigrants during a pandemic
We suggest that summarizing evidence regarding strategies to reach vulnerable groups of immigrants during pandemics and identifying ways of conveying recommendations to these groups may help authorities to make recommendations aimed at vulnerable immigrants
Summary
On January 30, 2020, the Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization (WHO) agreed that the COVID-19 outbreak met the criteria of Public Health Emergency of International Concern and proposed temporary recommendations (e.g. isolation, early detection and contact tracing), which were advised to be implemented by governments with the aim to prevent the spread of the disease internationally (World Health Organization, 2020). Immigrants with limited non-native language proficiency and those born outside of their place of residence may be at a greater risk of illness (Garcia-Retamero and Dhami, 2011; Norwegian Institute of Public Health, 2020a). Among such groups are, for instance, Mexican immigrants in the USA, or Syrian refugees worldwide, as well as other groups, which are weaker both economically and in relation to their social, psychological and physical well-being, compared to the general population in the host countries (Cantekin, 2019). As pinpointed by Gostin et al (2020), “at a time of vast inequalities, we are only as safe as the most vulnerable among us.” This means that everyone else is at a greater risk if disadvantaged members of our society do not practice general recommendations from the governments (Gostin et al, 2020)
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