Health Literacy Barriers of Refugees and Immigrants: Implications for Library Collaborations

Abstract

Conflicts over the past few decades in the Middle East have displaced millions of people and forced them to seek refuge in other countries. However, these refugees continue to face numerous difficulties in their host countries, including access to healthcare, understanding health information, and evaluating it. This paper synthesizes research on the health literacy barriers and needs of immigrants and refugees, showing that many refugees avoid using healthcare and prefer to find health information through informal sources. The results demonstrate a critical need for health literacy programs in the host countries and highlights various opportunities for collaborations for libraries to develop and deliver health literacy programs for refugees.