Collaboration in health promotion for newly arrived migrants in Sweden

• Published in: PLOS ONE
• Main Authors: Svanholm, Sara, Carlerby, Heidi, Viitasara, Eija
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Mittuniversitetet, Institutionen för hälsovetenskap 2020
• Subjects: Educational Sciences; Utbildningsvetenskap; Northern Sweden
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:miun:diva-39196; https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0233659

As a group, newly arrived migrants in Sweden face inequities in health compared to the general population. Successful promotion of population health requires awareness of and focus on health from several sectors of society. In light of this, the aim was to study the views of local authority officials on collaboration in health promotion activities for newly arrived migrants. Data was collected through five focus group interviews with 23 local authority officials working with the integration of newly arrived migrants in the Establishment Program in a municipality or at the Employment Services in northern Sweden. An inductive qualitative latent content analysis was performed, and the analysis showed that the participating officials considered health promotion as desirable in the Establishment Program, but it also raised complex issues within the existing organisations. The officials described unclear roles, but also possible changes to the organisation that would improve the possibility of working to promote health. The present study adds to the relatively limited knowledge of health promotion in integration activities and offers clinical relevance for policymakers through the officials’ suggestions for improvements in the Establishment Program. It also raises important questions for further research.