Abstract
BackgroundThere has been an increasing number of refugee women globally; yet, there is little recent data describing the health profile of refugee women by region of origin in the United States. It is important to monitor the health status of women by region of origin to provide needed targeted interventions.MethodsWe analyzed the Refugee Health Electronic Information System (RHEIS), a population-based dataset that included 14,060 female refugees who entered California between October 3, 2013 and February 15, 2017. We assessed differences in health status by region of origin.ResultsAlmost one out of three women experienced a traumatic event. Women from Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean experienced higher levels of trauma compared to other regions, including sexual assault, physical, and weapon assault. More than half of women and girls (56.6%) reported experiences of persecution, with Southeast Asians reporting the highest levels. Among women of reproductive age, 7.0% of women were currently pregnant at the time of arrival to the US, 19.0% ever had a spontaneous abortion, and 8.6% reported ever having an abortion. One in three women from Africa reported female genital cutting. Moreover, 80.0% of women reported needing language assistance at the time of their health assessment.ConclusionsRefugee women and girls experience high levels of trauma and persecution, suggesting the need for trauma-informed care. Those working with refugee women, such as resettlement agencies and health providers, should be equipped with information about antenatal care, nutrition, and pregnancy to newly arrived women. Lastly, differences in health status by region of origin indicate a need for tailored interventions and linguistically appropriate health information.
Highlights
There has been an increasing number of refugee women globally; yet, there is little recent data describing the health profile of refugee women by region of origin in the United States
Demographic characteristics Out of 12,279 female women and girls, 13.4% were between the ages of 0–5 years, with more girls arriving from Europe/Central Asia and South Asia (16.7 and 14.0%, respectively) compared to other regions
The majority of individuals enter as refugees (60.3%), followed by 24.3% as Special Immigrant Visas (SIV), 10% of asylees, 1.5% as parolees, and 0.7% came as victims of trafficking (VOT)
Summary
There has been an increasing number of refugee women globally; yet, there is little recent data describing the health profile of refugee women by region of origin in the United States. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), over 65 million people were forced to flee their homes in 2015-- an unprecedented number that is reflective of broader political and social turmoil occurring globally [1] This includes over 21 million individuals with refugee status, with 54% of refugees from three countries: Syria, Afghanistan, and Somalia [2]. In the United States (US), the total number of refugees admitted fluctuates with ongoing political priorities and global events, with one of the highest numbers reported recently in fiscal year 2016 when 84,995 refugees were admitted [3] While this number has declined since 2017, refugees continue to be an important population in the US given that thousands will continue to resettle each year coming from diverse regions of the globe.
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