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VAM-Velferd, arbeid og migrasjon

Integration as a way to reducing health inequalities among forced migrants: A collaborative and knowledge building project.

Alternative title: Integrering for likhet i helse for innvandrere i Norge. Et samarbeidsprosjket

Awarded: NOK 12.0 mill.

Health professionals with refugee origins, either must endure long waits to get their education approved or may never obtain it due to administrative barriers. On the other hand, the health sector in Norway, lacks a culturally competent workforce and students lack sufficient exposure to cultural diversity as part of their education. Inclusion is a key European political priority and the new National Curriculum Regulations for Norwegian Health and Welfare Education obliges educational institutions to include cultural competence in their programs. To address these challenges, the University of Bergen and the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences and are committed to improve diversity among teachers and students. However, there is neither a clear strategy nor available evidence on how this inclusion might impact migrants, their families, or the institutions themselves. This study will test the hypotheses that the relationships between health and integration are circular rather than linear and that a meaningful integration is key to improve health and wellbeing for forced migrants. Our study will harness the on-going collaboration across institutions towards a better understanding of the intertwined links between health and integration, paving the way for co-creation, implementation and evaluation of an innovative intervention. Thus, this project has two main aims: First, to study the intertwined development of integration and health in a new home country among forced migrants in a trajectory perspective using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Second, to study the effect of an innovative labour-related intervention on the health and integration of health professionals with refugee r other migrant background as well as the impact on their families and the institutions opening their doors to this group.

Health professionals with refugee origins, either must endure long waits to get their education approved or may never obtain it due to administrative barriers. On the other hand, the health sector in Norway, lacks a culturally competent workforce and students lack sufficient exposure to cultural diversity as part of their education. Inclusion is a key European political priority and the new National Curriculum Regulations for Norwegian Health and Welfare Education obliges educational institutions to include cultural competence in their programs. To address these challenges, the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences and University of Bergen are committed to improve diversity among teachers and students. However, there is neither a clear strategy nor available evidence on how this inclusion might impact migrants, their families, or the institutions themselves. This research action brings together two of the largest Norwegian projects working for a healthier integration of refugees: CHART (Changing Health and health care needs Along the Syrian Refugees’ Trajectories to Norway) study and the REFUGE (Resettlement in Uprooted Groups Explored) study. We hypothesise that; the relationships between health and integration are circular rather than linear and present integration as key to improve health and wellbeing for forced migrants. Our study will harness the on-going collaboration across institutions with different roles, competences and capacities, including migrant themselves, towards a better understanding of the intertwined links between health and integration, paving the way for co-creation, implementation and evaluation of an innovative intervention. Our proposal is thus a potential driver for further measures promoting welfare, health and integration of migrants.

Funding scheme:

VAM-Velferd, arbeid og migrasjon