HealthIntro - Health Perspective in the Introduction Program (HealthIntro)

HealthIntro - a Study to Increase the Successful Participation of Refugees With Health Problems in the Introduction Program

Health problems seem one major reason for why not all refugees, especially women, fulfill the introduction program (IP) and enter the labour market after the end of the program. This challenges integration, and can lead to increased inequalities in society. The HealthIntro pilot-project and existing knowledge point towards a mismatch between the IP's goal to integrate as many refugees as possible into the labour market as soon as possible, and the demanding situation refugees with complex (health) challenges face after resettlement in the host country. Particular barriers seem related to the little flexibility of the introduction law, difficulties with collaboration between public services and with involving refugees in decision-making regarding program adjustments. It is known that refugees have more health problems than the rest of the population. Additionally, current trends in integration policy result in increasing numbers of refugees with complex challenges in municipalities, often families in which one or several members have health problems. It is therefore of high importance to develop strategies that enable municipalities to work more effectively with these most vulnerable group of refugees in the early phase of resettlement and during the IP.

In collaboration with three North Norwegian municipalities and refugees, the investigators will explore how health problems interconnect with program participation on the national level, the municipal level and in a family context. Moreover, the investigators will use this knowledge to collaboratively generate ideas on how to improve the strategic work in municipalities with refugees with health problems. More specifically, the investigators will link registerdata on a national level, conduct explorative qualitative studies addressing the system level in municipalities, and the family and everday life context of refugee families, and conduct an action research inspired study to initiating change in municipalities.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Refugee Health
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: no intervention

Detailed Description

This study is funded by The Norwegian Research Council (project number 319050)

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 100000

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Johanna Laue; Phone Number: 004796237993; Email: johanna.laue@uit.no
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Sindre Myhr; Email: simy@norceresearch.no

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 16 years to 53 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Work package 1: all participants in the introduction program, since start of the program in Norway, and their family relations.

Work package 2: persons with refugee status settled in Harstad, Senja, or Sør-Varanger municipality who participate in the introduction program during the project period and have a self-reported health problem (sample 1), employees working in Harstad, Senja, or Sør-Varanger municipality with experience with refugees and the introduction program during their work

Work package 3: families with refugee status settled in Harstad, Senja, or Sør-Varanger municipality, which have one or several health problems within the family and of which one or both parents participate in the introduction program.

Description

Work package 1:

Inclusion criteria:

• refugee status
• participate or have participated in the introduction program in Norway

Exclusion criteria

• not refugee status
• not participated in the introduction program in Norway

Work package 2:

Inclusion criteria, sample 1

• refugee status
• participate in the introduction program in Harstad, Senja, or Sør-Varanger municipality during the project period and since at least one year at enrollment
• have a self-reported health problem

Exclusion criteria, sample 1

• no refugee status
• do not participate in the introduction program
• do not have a health problem

Inclusion criteria, sample 2

• has professional experience with refugees in Harstad, Senja, or Sør-Varanger municipality
• currently working in Harstad, Senja, or Sør-Varanger municipality
• above 18 years of age

Exclusion criteria, sample 2

• under 18 years of age
• not currently working in Harstad, Senja, or Sør-Varanger municipality

Work package 3:

Inclusion criteria:

• refugee status
• living together with family including one or more children
• participate in the introduction program in Harstad, Senja, or Sør-Varanger municipality during the project period and since at least one year at enrollment
• have a self-reported health problem within the family

Exclusion criteria_

• no refugee status
• do not participate in the introduction program
• do not live together with family
• do not have a health problem within the family

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Other
• Time Perspectives: Other

Number of groups / cohorts

3

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
work package 1; all participants in Norwegian introduction program and their family relations	Other: no intervention; this is not an intervention study
work package 2; strategic sample of refugees with health problems currently participating in the introduction program	Other: no intervention; this is not an intervention study
work package 3; 3-6 families from which one or more participate in the introduction program and one or more have health problems	Other: no intervention; this is not an intervention study

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Work package 1: Number of refugees dropping out of the introduction program or being unemployed after the end of the program; diagnoses associated with drop out of the program .	Work packages 2-4 are qualitative studies and cannot be described in terms of outcome measures due to methodological reasons	WP 1: 5-10 years after having finished the introduction program

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Tromso
• Collaborators: NORCE Norwegian Research Centre AS; FAFO Research foundation; Harstad municipality; Senja municipality; Sør-Varanger municipality

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Anticipated): October 1, 2021
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): December 1, 2022
• Study Completion (Anticipated): May 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 23, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 21, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): July 22, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 22, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 21, 2021
• Last Verified: July 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: health; refugees; immigration; introduction program
• Other Study ID Numbers: 237875

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No