A Qualitative Study of the Health Perceptions in the Venezuelan Immigrant Population in Medellín (Colombia) and Its Conditioning Factors

Andrés M. Murillo-Pedrozo, Eliana Martínez-Herrera, Elena Ronda-Pérez and Andrés A. Agudelo-Suárez
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Andrés M. Murillo-Pedrozo: Faculty of Dentistry, University of Antioquia, Medellín 050010, Colombia
Eliana Martínez-Herrera: Research Group of Epidemiology, National School of Public Health “Héctor Abad Gómez”, University of Antioquia, Medellín 050010, Colombia
Elena Ronda-Pérez: Public Health Research Group, University of Alicante, 03690 Alicante, Spain
Andrés A. Agudelo-Suárez: Faculty of Dentistry, University of Antioquia, Medellín 050010, Colombia

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 8, 1-13

Abstract: This study explored the general and oral health perceptions in the Venezuelan immigrant population in Medellín (Colombia) and its conditioning factors. A qualitative study involving Venezuelan immigrants ≥18 years with a minimum stay of six months in Colombia was conducted. Dentists, dental students, and other health professionals also participated. Semi-structured interviews ( n = 17), focus groups ( n = 2), and key informants’ interviews ( n = 4) were utilized. The interviews and focus groups were recorded and transcribed for later narrative content analysis. A high degree of vulnerability of participants was found due to the precarious living conditions from the premigratory moment and the lack of job placement possibilities at the time of settling in Colombia, where the migratory status played a fundamental role. Among the perceived needs, the mitigation of noncommunicable diseases stood out. Poor mental health symptoms (depression and anxiety) were perceived, and oral health was not a priority. Barriers to accessing health and dental care were found. The migrant condition was found to be a determinant that affected physical, mental, and oral health and the provision of health care. This situation is of interest to the construction of public health policies that guarantee access to fundamental rights.

Keywords: emigration and immigration; oral health; mental health; health services accessibility; qualitative research (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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