Examining the Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Iraqi Refugees in Canada

Needal Ghadi, Jordan Tustin, Ian Young, Nigar Sekercioglu, Susan Abdula and Fatih Sekercioglu ()
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Needal Ghadi: School of Occupational and Public Health, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada
Jordan Tustin: School of Occupational and Public Health, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada
Ian Young: School of Occupational and Public Health, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada
Nigar Sekercioglu: Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
Susan Abdula: London Employment Help Centre, London, ON N5Y 1A8, Canada
Fatih Sekercioglu: School of Occupational and Public Health, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 21, issue 3, 1-13

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated health and social inequities among migrant groups more than others. Higher rates of poverty, unemployment, living in crowded households, and language barriers have placed resettled refugees at a higher risk of facing disparities during the COVID-19 pandemic. To understand how this most vulnerable population has been impacted by the ongoing pandemic, this study reports on the responses of 128 Iraqi refugees in the city of London, Ontario, to a survey on the economic, social, and health-related impacts that they have faced for almost two years since the beginning the pandemic. The analysis of the survey indicated that 90.4% of the study population reported having health concerns during the pandemic while 80.3% expressed facing financial distress. The results also show that 58.4% of respondents experienced some form of social isolation. These all suggest that refugees are faced with several barriers which can have a compounding effect on their resettlement experience. These findings provide resettlement and healthcare providers with some information that may assist in reducing the impact of COVID-19 and other possible health security emergencies on resettled refugees and their communities.

Keywords: COVID-19; resettled refugee; Canada; access to healthcare; food safety; loneliness; isolation; financial burdens (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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