Image of immigration through scientific literature

Objective: To know the image the scientific community has about the health of immigrants, searching Spanish bibliography through the main Health Sciences databases. Materials and Methods: In a first phase of the study we performed a bibliometric analysis encompassing the period 1980-2001. The searched databases were Medline and Indice Médico Español (IME). A second phase consisted in locating primary sources and analyzing the dominant discourse in each of the retrieved articles. Results: The search resulted in the identification of 80 articles complying with the search criteria (72 from Medline and 8 from IME). Regarding the bibliometric study, the Spanish autonomous region where most studies have been carried out was Catalonia (42.1%), closely followed by Madrid (32.57%). Immigrants came from Africa (57%), Latinamerica (30%) and Asia (13%) The analysis of the dominant discourse within the articles can be summarized in the following two headings: “Immigration results in an increase of infectious and tropical diseases”. “The use of health care services by the immigrants”. Conclusions: There is a clear need for the implementation of interdisciplinary sociosanitary programs which may help to overcome language and cultural barriers. Different lifestyles, and hygienic, sanitary and alimentary practices and not the immigrant himself, represent a hazard for both individuals and public health.

Abstract licence: CC BY

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