A Rapid Assessment of Health Literacy and Health Status of Rohingya Refugees Living in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh Following the August 2017 Exodus from Myanmar: A Cross-Sectional Study
Type
ArticleAuthor/s
Rahman, RidwanurFaiz, Mohammad Abul
Nu, Ma Yin
Hassan, Rafiqul
Chakrabarty, Ashish Kumar
Kabir, Iqbal
Islam, Khaleda
Jafarullah, Abul Kashem Mohammad
Alakabawy, Mariam
Khatami, Ameneh
Rashid, Harunor
Abstract
BACKGROUND: A survey was conducted among Rohingya refugees to assess their overall health literacy and health status. METHODS: A questionnaire was developed to conduct face to face interviews among Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh in November-December 2017. Families ...
See moreBACKGROUND: A survey was conducted among Rohingya refugees to assess their overall health literacy and health status. METHODS: A questionnaire was developed to conduct face to face interviews among Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh in November-December 2017. Families were selected using convenience sampling from four large refugee camps. RESULTS: Primary respondents aged 10-90 (median 32) years, 56% male, representing 1634 families were interviewed and provided data of themselves and 6268 additional family members, 4163 (66.4%) of whom were children aged <18 years. Of all, only 736 (45%) primary respondents knew how to appropriately treat diarrhoea, 882 (54%) relied on unqualified village "doctors" for treatment, 547 (33.5%) reported a family member suffering injuries in the previous six months, with 8% (42/547) of injuries fatal. One hundred and ninety two (11.8%) primary respondents also reported deaths within their family in the preceding 12 months, with the majority (70% [134/192]) occurring in males, and 44% (85/192) of all deaths were claimed to be homicidal. CONCLUSION: This survey highlights overall poor health literacy, limited access to qualified health care, and a high rate of injuries and assaults among Rohingyas. However, these data come from an anecdotal survey that excluded some sensitive but important questions.
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See moreBACKGROUND: A survey was conducted among Rohingya refugees to assess their overall health literacy and health status. METHODS: A questionnaire was developed to conduct face to face interviews among Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh in November-December 2017. Families were selected using convenience sampling from four large refugee camps. RESULTS: Primary respondents aged 10-90 (median 32) years, 56% male, representing 1634 families were interviewed and provided data of themselves and 6268 additional family members, 4163 (66.4%) of whom were children aged <18 years. Of all, only 736 (45%) primary respondents knew how to appropriately treat diarrhoea, 882 (54%) relied on unqualified village "doctors" for treatment, 547 (33.5%) reported a family member suffering injuries in the previous six months, with 8% (42/547) of injuries fatal. One hundred and ninety two (11.8%) primary respondents also reported deaths within their family in the preceding 12 months, with the majority (70% [134/192]) occurring in males, and 44% (85/192) of all deaths were claimed to be homicidal. CONCLUSION: This survey highlights overall poor health literacy, limited access to qualified health care, and a high rate of injuries and assaults among Rohingyas. However, these data come from an anecdotal survey that excluded some sensitive but important questions.
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Date
2020Share