Migrant health literacy crisis emerges in Finland, affecting care access
Nearly half of Finland's migrant population struggles with health literacy—nearly three times the rate among native citizens—according to a new cross-sectional study. The finding signals a major equity gap that policymakers and healthcare systems must address to prevent adverse outcomes and reduce costly emergency interventions among vulnerable populations.
Originaltitel: Factors associated with limited health literacy in a culturally diverse population in Finland: a cross-sectional study.
Migranter i Finland löper fyra gånger större risk än infödda befolkningen att ha begränsad hälsolitteracitet – 42 procent jämfört med 15 procent. En tvärsnittsstudie från Institutet för hälsa och välfärd omfattade 9 717 personer mellan 20–74 år och identifierade orsakerna bakom denna disparitet. Begränsad hälsolitteracitet korrelerar starkt med arbetslöshet, ekonomiska svårigheter, låg utbildning och svag språkbehärskning. Bland migranter var otillräcklig finska eller svenska en särskilt stark riskfaktor. Studien omfattade både den allmänna befolkningen och migrantgrupper via Terve Suomi och MoniSuomi-undersökningarna. För regionvården innebär resultaten ett tydligt behov av målriktad investering i språkintroduktion och anpassad hälsokommunikation för migrantpopulationer. Tidigare intervention efter migration kan minska ojämlikheter i hälsoutfall och reduce vårdsystemets belastning långsiktigt.
Limited health literacy (HL) has been associated with many adverse health outcomes. Limited HL contributes to adverse outcomes; however, evidence on effective strategies to enhance it remains limited. In this study, we examined HL prevalence in the general Finnish and migrant origin populations and investigate which sociodemographic, health-related, and migration-related factors are associated with limited HL. Data were collected from 2022 to 2023 as part of the cross-sectional population surveys Terve Suomi and MoniSuomi. The analysis included individuals aged 20-74 years (n = 9717), with HL assessed using the HLS19-Q12. Logistic regressions were used to investigate the association between population, sex, age, living alone, region of residence, education, economic activity, income difficulties, language skills, length of residence, and self-rated health (SRH) with limited HL. A prevalence of limited HL was observed in 15% (95% CI: 13.2-15.9) of the general population and 42% (95% CI: 40.1-43.4) of the migrant-origin population in Finland. Across both groups, limited HL was more likely among individuals with a migration background, unemployment or student status, income difficulties, living alone, lower educational attainment, and average or poor SRH. Among migrants, limited HL was additionally associated with less-than-excellent proficiency in Finnish or Swedish. Limited HL is much more prevalent among the migrant-origin population, highlighting substantial disparities linked to socioeconomic disadvantage, living circumstances, and language proficiency. Earlier efforts to promote HL following migration and greater language inclusion is needed.