With the objective of combating the worsening health status of migrants in Portugal, the NOVA National School of Public Health launched the project "Health literacy and social cohesion in migrant populations", in partnership with the Portuguese Directorate-General for Health and the collaboration of the World Health Organization.
Migrants tend to have a good level of health upon arrival in the host country. However, over time the situation is reversed and migrants, in general, have higher incidence, prevalence and mortality rates from non-communicable diseases than the national population. Socio-economic conditions, changes in lifestyles, adoption of risky behaviors and barriers in accessing and using health services are primarily responsible for this disparity. These communities need to be integrated into prevention initiatives, as well as improved access to health care in a timely manner.
With this initiative, NOVA National School of Public Health thus seeks to ensure that migrant populations are not left behind when it comes to health care, thereby striving to meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the Agenda 2030, in particular SDG 3 - Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
Source: ENSP NOVA
News articles (in Portuguese):
Observador - Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública lança projeto para apoiar migrantes