Article
Effects of non-health-targeted policies on migrant health: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Registration in:
JUÁREZ, Sol Pía et al. Effects of non-health-targeted policies on migrant health: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Glob Health, v. 7, p. e420–e435, 2019.
2214-109X
10.1016/S2214-109X(18)30560-6
Author
Juárez, Sol Pía
Honkaniemi, Helena
Dunlavy, Andrea C.
Aldridge, Robert W.
Barreto, Mauricio Lima
Katikireddi, Srinivasa Vittal
Rostila, Mikael
Abstract
Swedish Council for Health, Working Life and Social Research (FORTE, Grant #2016–07128). SVK is also funded by the UK Medical Research Council (MC_UU_12017–13 & MC_UU_12017–15), the Scottish Government Chief Scientist’s Office (SPHSU13 & SPHSU15), and a National Health Service Research Scotland Scottish Senior Clinical Fellowship (SCAF/15/02). Government policies can strongly influence migrants' health. Using a Health in All Policies approach, we systematically reviewed evidence on the impact of public policies outside of the health-care system on migrant health. Methods We searched the PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases from Jan 1, 2000, to Sept 1, 2017, for
quantitative studies comparing the health effects of non-health-targeted public policies on migrants with those on a
relevant comparison population. We searched for articles written in English, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish,
French, Spanish, or Portuguese. Qualitative studies and grey literature were excluded. We evaluated policy effects by
migration stage (entry, integration, and exit) and by health outcome using narrative synthesis (all included studies)
and random-effects meta-analysis (all studies whose results were amenable to statistical pooling). We summarised
meta-analysis outcomes as standardised mean difference (SMD, 95% CI) or odds ratio (OR, 95% CI). To assess
certainty, we created tables containing a summary of the findings according to the Grading of Recommendations
Assessment, Development, and Evaluation. Our study was registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42017076104.