91福利

Project Leads

Elizabeth Saewyc

Team Members
Mauricio Coronel Villalobos; Marie Louise Umwangange; Shams MF Al-Anzi

Cluster: Immigrant Adolescent and Youth Health

International and migrant students in homestay arrangements may experience distinct health risks, support gaps, and care access barriers. Previous studies in Canada have found that homestay students experience poorer health outcomes, especially mental health outcomes, as well as higher risks of exploitation and food insecurity compared to migrant youth who accompany their parents (Wong et al., 2010). The BC Ministry of Education introduced guidelines in 2014 and 2018 to improve the social safety net and tracking of migrant high school students in homestay settings.

The objective of this project is to assess trends in health outcomes among homestay students before and after implementation of relevant government guidelines. The project aims to identify whether policy shifts were associated with changes in youth health indicators, interpret findings with a homestay youth advisory group, and incorporate youth perspectives into a final manuscript for policy and practice audiences.

1. Using the BC Adolescent Health Surveys from the past 20 years, with Canada-wide Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey data over the same period as a comparison, is there evidence that these policy changes have reduced risks and improved health outcomes for homestay students compared to earlier cohorts of homestay students, and relative to migrant peers who accompany their parents?

This project uses BC Adolescent Health Survey (BCAHS) data from 2008, 2013, 2018, and 2023. The analysis compares health outcomes for homestay students before and after the policy/guideline period using trend analysis. Quantitative findings will be shared with a homestay advisory group of youth with relevant experience, and their feedback will be incorporated into the final manuscript discussion and implications.

• Homestay Youth Advisory Group

Complete. As of October 2025, analysis and writing were complete. The team had recruited homestay youth advisors and met them to incorporate their insights into the final manuscript.

Homestay students; Migrant youth; Policy; Health inequities