Suchergebnisse

The present article represents the first attempt to collect all health-related ESS articles for a systematic review. Although the European Social Survey (ESS) is not primarily a health survey, we have seen an increasing use of data from the ESS in comparative health research in the last few years, and the number is increasing year by year. The present article mainly aims at describing the findings from these studies and to highlight the main methodological differences between these studies. Although a synchronisation of methodological approaches would increase the comparability between ESS studies, the varying approaches are one of the main features that increase the interest in the ESS: both because it improves the robustness of the results, but also because it reflects the flexibility that the ESS offers as a data source. Twenty-one studies using the ESS for health-comparative analyses could be found and the number of studies is increasing year by year. A key result from these studies is that fundamental inequalities continue to exist according to many socio-economic indicators in the Nordic countries despite high living standards and egalitarian policies.

AbstractImmunological defence against pathogens and behavioural responses to members of other ethnic or racial groups may be understood as co-evolved solutions to a commonly recurring adaptive problem in our ancestral environment: the need to avoid infectious disease. In recent years, research on the concept of the behavioural immune system has highlighted behavioural defence, showing in particular that individual-level disgust sensitively is associated with greater prejudice towards members of other—particularly stigmatized—social groups. Stigma thus represents in part a human disease-avoidance strategy. This mechanism is thereby assumed to be particularly strong for individuals who report poor mental and/or physical health. In this article, we draw upon MIGHEAL data to examine how health vulnerabilities impact prejudice towards new immigrants in Greece—a key refugee- and migrant-receiving society. The findings have direct implications for the political consequences of health interventions: policies that result in enhanced immune-system functioning and resilience to health shocks may reduce prejudice towards new migrants, enhancing a society's capacity to receive and integrate refugees and other migrants. Health policy may thus provide an avenue by which societies improve their responses to large-scale migration flows—a policy area that arguably represents the greatest moral crisis of our time.

Abstract
Asylum seekers and refugees are confronted with multiple challenges before, during and after their flight from their home countries. The aim of this article is to shed more light on the distinct relationship between experiences of discrimination and self-reported health. On the basis of the REHEAL (Refugee Health) data, we are able to distinguish different reasons of discrimination, such as ethnicity, language or religion, as well as when the discrimination took place, e.g. before or during the flight or within the refugee camps. We are thereby particularly interested in the experience of discrimination in the refugee camps. In a first step, we aim to assess who is more likely to be discriminated against, for example women or members of the ethnic minority within the camps. In the second step, we analyse the relationship between discrimination and self-reported health. Our results reveal that discrimination is an important additional source for reporting poor health. Moreover, we find that women in particular suffer more from discrimination and thus bad health.

Abstract
More than 50,000 asylum seekers scattered across Greece were waiting to have their cases processed in February 2016. Using unique survey data collected in six Greek refugee camps at the time, this article explores the health of asylum-seeking children as assessed by their parents. More than half of the parents reported that children's health had deteriorated considerably or greatly since commencing their flight and the longer the time spent in Greece, the larger the share. The same tendency was found in a logistic regression model adjusting for educational level, sex and origin country. Feeling safe at the current location and access to basic amenities were alleviating factors. The results call for increased attention to the needs of asylum-seeking children in the Greek refugee camps and urgent action to alleviate potentially long-term impacts of the process of seeking asylum on these children.

AbstractLittle is known about the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among newly arrived refugees in Europe and whether their medical needs are met. To elucidate the prevalence of NCDs and unmet medical needs in the different migration phases, we used survey data on 267 adult asylum seekers at Greek refugee camps in 2016. Using multiple logistic regression analysis, we estimated determinants for unmet medical needs in Greece. The most prevalent reported NCDs in Greece were: back or neck pain (26.6 per cent) and severe headache (24.7 per cent). The prevalence of most NCDs in the migration phases followed a U- or J-shaped pattern: decreased during migration and increased after migration to Greece; thus, new cases of NCDs after arrival in Greece made up the vast majority of all cases. Accordingly, the refugee claimants were worse off further in the migration process. Unmet medical-care needs were reported by 41.3 per cent with one NCD after arrival in Greece. Compared with young adults, adults aged 51+ years were in increased risk of reporting unmet medical needs in Greece (odds ratio = 7.59; p = 0.015). This knowledge is important for health-care systems in receiving countries to plan for improved access to health-care services for refugees with NCDs.

Abstract
This study identifies factors that affect safety, health and trauma among refugees and asylum seekers newly arrived and accommodated in Greece. The data of this study was collected from the REHEAL (Refugees' Healing) project—a population-based survey conducted in six Greek refugee camps during the summer of 2016. We specified two binary logistic-regression models—one for safety and a second for health—as well as a multiple linear-regression model for the trauma score. Safety, health and trauma among refugees appear to be attributable to both pre- and post-displacement factors. The analysis shows that the mental and physical wellbeing of refugees and asylum seekers is strongly affected by post-displacement factors and, more specifically, by exposure to stressors in host countries, such as poor living conditions, limited access to health-care services and uncertainty about the future.

AbstractThis study examines whether health inequalities exist between lone and cohabiting mothers across Europe, and how these may differ by welfare regime. Data from the European Social Survey were used to compare self‐rated general health, limiting long‐standing illness and depressive feelings by means of a multi‐level logistic regression. The 27 countries included in the analyses are classified into six welfare regimes (Anglo‐Saxon, Bismarckian, Southern, Nordic, Central East Europe (CEE) (newEU) andCEE(non‐EU). Lone motherhood is defined as mothers not cohabiting with a partner, regardless of their legal marital status. The results indicate that lone mothers are more at risk of poor health than cohabiting mothers. This is most pronounced in the Anglo‐Saxon regime for self‐rated general health and limiting long‐standing illness, while for depressive feelings it is most pronounced in the Bismarckian welfare regime. While the risk difference is smallest in theCEEregimes, both lone and cohabiting mothers also reported the highest levels of poor health compared with the other regimes. The results also show that a vulnerable socioeconomic position is associated with ill‐health in lone mothers and that welfare regimes differ in the degree to which they moderate this association.

Objectives Health and safety instructions are important components of occupational prevention. Albeit instruction is mandatory in most countries, research suggests that safety knowledge varies among the workforce. We analysed a large European sample to explore if all subgroups of employees are equally reached. In a comparative perspective, we also investigated if country-level determinants influence the variance of safety knowledge between countries. Methods We used data on 24 534 employees from 27 countries who participated in the 2010 European Working Conditions Survey. Safety knowledge was measured as self-assessed quality of safety information. Country-level determinants were added from Eurostat databases (gross domestic product) and the European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks (ESENER) study (% companies with A: safety plan or B: a labour inspectorate visit). Associations between knowledge, sociodemographic, occupational characteristics and macrodeterminants were studied with hierarchical regression models. Results In our sample, 10.1% reported a low degree of health and safety knowledge. Across all countries, younger workers, lower educated workers, production workers, private sector employees, those with less job experience or a temporary contract, or those who work in small businesses were more likely to report low levels of information. Moreover, low information prevalence varied by country. Countries with a high proportion of companies with a safety plan and recent labour inspectorate on-site visits had higher proportions of informed workers. Conclusions A vast majority reported to be well informed about safety risks but systematic inequalities in the degree of knowledge between subgroups were evident. Further efforts on the workplace, the organisational and the political level are needed to universally implement existing occupational safety regulations.