May Sudhinaraset1, Tu My To2, Irving Ling3, Jason Melo4, Josue Chavarin5. 1. Department of Community Health Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Global Health Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California. Electronic address: May.Sudhinaraset@ucsf.edu. 2. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Global Health Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California. 3. School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California. 4. Division of Global Health, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California. 5. The California Endowment, Sacramento, California.
Abstract
PURPOSE: There is an urgent need to provide evidence-based policies to address the health of the 11.7 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) offers temporary relief to qualified undocumented immigrants. Asians and Pacific Islanders (APIs), in particular, are the fastest growing immigrant population; yet, little is known about their health challenges. This article examines the influence of DACA on the health of API undocumented young adults. METHODS: In total, 32 unique participants participated in 24 in-depth interviews and four focus group discussions. Participants were aged 18-31 years and identified as undocumented API. RESULTS: DACA potentially improves health outcomes through four potential social determinants: economic stability, educational opportunities, social and community contexts, and access to health care. These determinants improve the mental health and sense of well-being among undocumented young adults. CONCLUSIONS: Targeted outreach and education in communities should be informed by these research findings with an eye toward promoting the economic, education, and health benefits of enrolling in DACA. Social policies that address the social determinants of health have significant potential to address health inequities.
PURPOSE: There is an urgent need to provide evidence-based policies to address the health of the 11.7 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) offers temporary relief to qualified undocumented immigrants. Asians and Pacific Islanders (APIs), in particular, are the fastest growing immigrant population; yet, little is known about their health challenges. This article examines the influence of DACA on the health of API undocumented young adults. METHODS: In total, 32 unique participants participated in 24 in-depth interviews and four focus group discussions. Participants were aged 18-31 years and identified as undocumented API. RESULTS: DACA potentially improves health outcomes through four potential social determinants: economic stability, educational opportunities, social and community contexts, and access to health care. These determinants improve the mental health and sense of well-being among undocumented young adults. CONCLUSIONS: Targeted outreach and education in communities should be informed by these research findings with an eye toward promoting the economic, education, and health benefits of enrolling in DACA. Social policies that address the social determinants of health have significant potential to address health inequities.
Authors: Jason S Melo; Maria Luisa Mittal; Danielle Horyniak; Steffanie A Strathdee; Dan Werb Journal: Subst Use Misuse Date: 2018-01-24 Impact factor: 2.164