The health status of the Palestinians living in Israel: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

BackgroundIn mid-2014, 1 350 800 Palestinians were living in Israel (excluding residents of occupied East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights). Palestinians comprise 17% of the total population in Israel. The Palestinian community in Israel is very young, with 36% of Palestinians aged 14 years and younger, whereas in the Naqab, 49% of the Palestinian community is aged 14 years and younger. According to Ministry of Health reports, there is a gap between Arabs and Jews in most health indicators (life expectancy, infant mortality, chronic morbidity, and health behaviours). Most official surveys on the health of Palestinians living in Israel are based on small samples and do not consider specific characteristics of the Arab population (eg, composition, geographic distribution). The aim of this study was to obtain broader data on the health status of Palestinians in Israel as part of a socioeconomic survey. MethodsWe surveyed Palestinian households in the north of Israel, the Haifa region, the Naqab, and central Israel. We used a structured questionnaire to gather data on demographic and socioeconomic status, housing conditions, standards of living, education, culture, health, and environment. Data were collected by trained interviewers in face-to-face interviews. Verbal and written informed consent was obtained from participants. FindingsFieldwork was completed between March 1 and June 30, 2014. 97% of questionnaires were completed, providing data from 1698 Palestinian households (896 households from the north of Israel, 271 from the Haifa region, 293 from the Naqab, and 238 from central of Israel; 7115 participants in total). 15% of all study participants (14% of women and 15% of men) and 2% of participants aged 0–14 years reported chronic diseases. The highest prevalence of chronic diseases was found in mixed cities (22%) and in large communities with more than 15 000 residents (16%), whereas the prevalence of chronic diseases was lowest (4%) in villages that are not officially recognised by Israel. 6% of the participants had diabetes (5% of women and 6% of men). 9% of participants in general and 2% of participants aged 0–14 years had moderate or severe difficulties in their activities of daily living, and the prevalence of people with such difficulties increased with age, reaching 24% in participants aged 50–59 years and 51% in participants aged 60 years and older. 20% of the participants were smokers (4% of women and 36% of men), whereas 7% of participants aged 10 years and older were smokers. About 38% of participants exercised and played sports, and 16% took regular exercise. 42% of marriages were consanguineous, and this percentage increased to 70% of marriages in the Naqab. InterpretationCompared with the Jewish population in Israel, Palestinians with Israeli citizenship have more chronic diseases and more unhealthy behaviours. These findings should be used to inform national health strategic planning and interventions to improve and promote the health status of the Palestinian population in Israel. FundingNone.