Access to Healthcare for Immigrant Children in Canada

Bukola Salami, Alleson Mason, Jordana Salma, Sophie Yohani, Maryam Amin, Philomena Okeke-Ihejirika and Tehseen Ladha
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Bukola Salami: Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, Canada
Alleson Mason: Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, Canada
Jordana Salma: Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9, Canada
Sophie Yohani: Faculty of Education, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G5, Canada
Maryam Amin: Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R7, Canada
Philomena Okeke-Ihejirika: Faculty of Arts, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R7, Canada
Tehseen Ladha: Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R7, Canada

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 9, 1-12

Abstract: Immigrants experience poorer health outcomes than nonimmigrants in Canada for several reasons. A central contributing factor to poor health outcomes for immigrants is access to healthcare. Previous research on access to healthcare for immigrants has largely focused on the experience of immigrant adults. The purpose of this study was to investigate how immigrants access health services for their children in Alberta, Canada. Our study involved a descriptive qualitative design. Upon receiving ethics approval from the University of Alberta Research Ethics Board, we invited immigrant parents to participate in this study. We interviewed 50 immigrant parents, including 17 fathers and 33 mothers. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed according to the themes that emerged. Findings reveal that systemic barriers contributed to challenges in accessing healthcare for immigrant children. Participants identified several of these barriers—namely, system barriers, language and cultural barriers, relationship with health professionals, and financial barriers. These barriers can be addressed by policymakers and service providers by strengthening the diversity of the workforce, addressing income as a social determinant of health, and improving access to language interpretation services.

Keywords: access to healthcare; Alberta; Canada; child health; immigrant health; immigration; migrant health; migration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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