Description
The main aim and objective of the proposed project is to investigate the health disadvantage among the migrant population as compared to the native born population, from the perspective of the rising social and income inequalities in Greece seen in light of the ongoing economic crisis. The project aims to advance the state-of-the art in research on migratory phenomenon and enhancing policies related to integration of migrants in Greek society in order to reduce social exclusion and persistence of ethnic inequalities. Research design within the project will be mainly based on the theoretical assumptions developed in the new health module into the European Social Survey (ESS) currently fielded in Europe. A survey will be conducted among migrant and native born population in Greece in order to examine the social inequalities in physical health and their determinants as well as the health usage and health needs of migrant population in comparison to the natives. The survey can provide evidence at a national level for social and ethnic inequalities in health in light of the related forthcoming pan-European documentation provided by ESS.
Summary of project results
The aim was to advance the state-of-the art in research on the migratory phenomenon and enhancing policies related to integration of migrants in Greek society in order to reduce social exclusion and persistence of ethnic inequalities. The sharp increase of unemployment rates due to recession and in-coming migration, have posed welfare state provisions under severe pressure.. The key research objectives achieved are: 1. Evidence of migrants health status (mental health and physical chronic conditions), health care utilization and access to health services (unmet need) 2. Identify barriers to access and utilization of health services among migrants 3. Compare migrant health status and care needs with native born population health status and care needs. 4. Produce the theoretical and methodological framework for comprehensive measurement of migrant health. 5. Propose policy measures for reducing health inequalities between the migrant population and native born population. 6. Benefit from the knowledge transfer and expertise of the partner (NTNU). 7. Promote the academic and research networking and exchange between Greece and Norway at a mutual benefit. The activities conducted for achieving the main objectives of the project are: 1. Kick off meeting ( Athens) 2. Fieldwork survey was conducted by Metron Analysis SA under the supervision of EKKE team. The achieved sample consisted of 1,332 individuals aged 15 or over, living in the main cities of Greece. 3. Mid-term workshop (Trondheim), The NTNU and EKKE discussed the results of fieldwork. 4. The data acquired by the fieldwork survey were analyzed 5. Dissemination of project results to academia, policy-making stakeholders and wider public achieved through the project's website (
www.migheal.net), newsletters, social media, final closing conference held in Athens as well as submission of a research article in peer-reviewed journal. The project results had an impact on three areas: Research community, policy making and health care providers. The project contributed to research by generating reliable statistical data, mapping health inequalities and identifying unmet needs as well as barriers to access and utilization of health services among the target population. The fieldwork design and analytical methodology are in line with the European Social Survey, which ensure the generation of quantitative data comparable with the recently released data of the ESS Round 7 Health module regarding health inequalities.
Summary of bilateral results
The Bilateral Cooperation between the EKKE and NTNU was established during all the project's implementation stages. The project's implementation presumed the closed cooperation of partners as well as common decisions on analytical strategy, dissemination and exploitation of the project results. The bilateral exchange of knowledge and expertise was mainly strengthened by the statistical seminar in multilevel analysis organized by NTNU on November 10-11, 2016 in Trondheim, Norway. The seminar tutor Georg Jakobsen presented advanced statistical methods using STATA and provided detailed educational material to the EKKE team. Georg Jakobsen is a professor in political science at NTNU, in the Department of Sociology and Political Science, and Trondheim Business School. The project contributed significantly to strengthening the bilateral cooperation between the EKKE and NTNU as a substantial part of the research project was characterized by collective effort. The kick-off meeting, the mid-term workshop as well as the organisation of the above mentioned statistical seminar enhanced the closed cooperation of partners, exchange of knowledge as well as planning of future collaborative work. The cooperation with the donor partner will continue after the MIGHEAL project. EKKE and NTNU research team are planning the publication of a special issue in a peer-review journal, which will include a number of research articles, analysing the MIGHEAL data and covering different research aspects of the MIGHEAL project. Moreover, EKKE and NTNU have already expanded their research collaboration, working on REHEAL research project which aims to investigate the living conditions of refugees living in Greece, to explore their short-term and long-term psycho-social care needs, as well as to assess the post-war trauma amongst refugees.