Sammendrag
This study has measured self-reported health and healthcare needs among adult refugees from Ukraine arriving in Norway during 2022. Further, we have assessed received information about, and access to, health services in Norway. Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, more than 35 000 Ukrainian refugees applied for protection in Norway in 2022. Most of the arrivals are women and children, and there is a lack of systematic information about the health and healthcare needs of the group, which may differ significantly from that of other refugees. Although almost half of the study participants rated their overall health as good or very good, the Ukrainian refugees rated their health poorer in several areas, when compared to the Norwegian population. The main findings show:
• The refugees reported their health as poorer overall, with more long-term illnesses or health problems.
• The refugees reported poorer mental health with more symptoms of psychological distress during the last week.
• The refugees reported considerably poorer self-rated dental health.
• Most of the refugees had received information about health services in Norway in a way they either fully or to some extent understood. The more recently arrived refugees were less likely to report having received understandable information about health services. Further, the more newly arrived were less likely to report knowing how to contact health services, or to have received the health care they felt they had needed in Norway.
These findings may contribute to planning and ensuring appropriate health services for this group. Follow-up and continuity of treatment for long-term illnesses or health problems, as well as support for psychological distress and mental health care, represent important healthcare needs. Further, dental health services may also be a considerable need among the refugees. The findings suggest that information about health services in Norway can be improved, especially among the newly arrived.
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