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International Perspective on Health Literacy and Health Equity: Factors That Influence the Former Soviet Union Immigrants

Author

Listed:
  • Uliana Kostareva

    (School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA)

  • Cheryl L. Albright

    (School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA)

  • Eva-Maria Berens

    (Interdisciplinary Center for Health Literacy Research, Bielefeld University, 33699 Bielefeld, Germany)

  • Diane Levin-Zamir

    (Department of Health Education and Promotion, Clalit Health Services, School of Public Health, University of Haifa, Haifa 31000, Israel)

  • Altyn Aringazina

    (Kazakhstan School of Public Health, Medical University, Almaty 050000, Kazakhstan)

  • Maria Lopatina

    (National Medical Research Center for Therapy and Preventive Medicine of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 101000 Moscow, Russia)

  • Luba L. Ivanov

    (Chamberlain College of Nursing, Chamberlain University, Downers Grove, 60515 IL, USA)

  • Tetine L. Sentell

    (Office of Public Health Studies, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA)

Abstract

Among the world’s 272 million international migrants, more than 25 million are from the former Soviet Union (FSU), yet there is a paucity of literature available about FSU immigrants’ health literacy. Besides linguistic and cultural differences, FSU immigrants often come from a distinct healthcare system affecting their ability to find, evaluate, process, and use health information in the host countries. In this scoping review and commentary, we describe the health literacy issues of FSU immigrants and provide an overview of FSU immigrants’ health literacy based on the integrated health literacy model. We purposefully consider the three most common locations where FSU immigrants have settled: the USA, Germany, and Israel. For context, we describe the healthcare systems of the three host countries and the two post-Soviet countries to illustrate the contribution of system-level factors on FSU immigrants’ health literacy. We identify research gaps and set a future research agenda to help understand FSU immigrants’ health literacy across countries. Amidst the ongoing global population changes related to international migration, this article contributes to a broad-scope understanding of health literacy among FSU immigrants related to the system-level factors that may also apply to other immigrants, migrants, and refugees.

Suggested Citation

  • Uliana Kostareva & Cheryl L. Albright & Eva-Maria Berens & Diane Levin-Zamir & Altyn Aringazina & Maria Lopatina & Luba L. Ivanov & Tetine L. Sentell, 2020. "International Perspective on Health Literacy and Health Equity: Factors That Influence the Former Soviet Union Immigrants," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(6), pages 1-20, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:6:p:2155-:d:336289
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Neil K. Mehta & Irma T. Elo & Michal Engelman & Diane S. Lauderdale & Bert M. Kestenbaum, 2016. "Life Expectancy Among U.S.-born and Foreign-born Older Adults in the United States: Estimates From Linked Social Security and Medicare Data," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 53(4), pages 1109-1134, August.
    2. Michael Borowitz & Rifat Atun, 2006. "The unfinished journey from Semashko to Bismarck: health reform in Central Asia from 1991 to 2006," Central Asian Survey, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(4), pages 419-440.
    3. Neil Mehta & Irma Elo, 2012. "Migrant Selection and the Health of U.S. Immigrants From the Former Soviet Union," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 49(2), pages 425-447, May.
    4. Janet Purath & Catherine Van Son & Cynthia F. Corbett, 2011. "Physical Activity: Exploring Views of Older Russian-Speaking Slavic Immigrants," Nursing Research and Practice, Hindawi, vol. 2011, pages 1-5, October.
    5. Yinon Cohen & Yitchak Haberfeld, 2007. "Self-selection and earnings assimilation: Immigrants from the former Soviet Union in Israel and the United States," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 44(3), pages 649-668, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Keren Dopelt & Nofar Avni & Yana Haimov-Sadikov & Iris Golan & Nadav Davidovitch, 2021. "Telemedicine and eHealth Literacy in the Era of COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Peripheral Clinic in Israel," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-13, September.
    2. Tetine Sentell & Sandra Vamos & Orkan Okan, 2020. "Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Health Literacy Research Around the World: More Important Than Ever in a Time of COVID-19," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-13, April.
    3. Maria Lopatina & Eva-Maria Berens & Julia Klinger & Diane Levin-Zamir & Uliana Kostareva & Altyn Aringazina & Oxana Drapkina & Jürgen M. Pelikan, 2022. "Adaptation of the Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS 19 -Q) for Russian-Speaking Populations—International Collaboration across Germany, Israel, Kazakhstan, Russia, and the USA," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-12, March.
    4. Evgeny Knaifel & Rafael Youngmann & Efrat Neter, 2023. "Immigrant generation, acculturation, and mental health literacy among former Soviet Union immigrants in Israel," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 69(3), pages 724-734, May.
    5. Uliana Kostareva & Cheryl L. Albright & Eva-Maria Berens & Patricia Polansky & Deborah E. Kadish & Luba L. Ivanov & Tetine L. Sentell, 2021. "A Multilingual Integrative Review of Health Literacy in Former Soviet Union, Russian-Speaking Immigrants," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-18, January.

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