91福利

Project Leads

Elizabeth Saewyc

Team Members
Mauricio Coronel Villalobos; Monica Rana; Shams MF Al-Anzi; Adi Ferrara; Caroline Mackay

Cluster: Immigrant Adolescent and Youth Health

Forgone health care refers to delaying or missing needed care and is a sign of difficulty accessing health services. Migrant adolescents may forgo health care because of language barriers, stigma, cost concerns, limited support, or lack of culturally safe services. This project examines forgone care among migrant adolescents in British Columbia, compared to non-migrant adolescents, over time.

The objective of this study is to assess how often migrant adolescents forgo needed health care, identify whether there are gaps in access to health care between migrant youth and their non-migrant peers, examine changes in forgone care over time, and explore potential reasons that youth may forgo mental health services.

1.  How often do migrant adolescents forgo health care, and how has this changed over time?
2.  How do migrant adolescents compare with their non-migrant peers on forgone health care?
3.  What barriers may contribute to migrant adolescents forgoing health care and mental health services?
4. How do immigrant youth describe what is helpful or difficult when trying to access health care and mental health services in Canada?

This project analyzes data from the British Columbia Adolescent Health Survey (BCAHS). Analyses will examine trends in forgone care and access to care across available survey waves and compare migrant youth with non-migrant peers where possible. Following data analysis, findings will be shared with migrant youth advisory groups to explore lived experiences, insights, and perspectives that can help explain the findings. The related qualitative component includes semi-structured interviews with immigrant youth aged 15 to 24 about health care and mental health service access.

Ongoing. The project is currently in the data analysis, writing, and recruitment phases.

Forgone health care; Access to care; Migrant adolescents; Health services; Medical services; Mental health services; Dental care; Equity