Diabetes management in the face of adversity: Experiences of asylum‐seekers in Belgian reception centres

Autor: Wanda Monika Johanna Van Hemelrijck, Hadewijch Vandenheede, Solveig A. Cunningham
Přispěvatelé: Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI)
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Diabetic Medicine, 39(4):e14742
ISSN: 1464-5491
0742-3071
DOI: 10.1111/dme.14742
Popis: Background Diabetes poses a heavy burden on patients due to its progressive and chronic nature; it requires continuous management to promote a high-quality and long life. Disease management is especially challenging in emergency settings. We examined how displaced people with diabetes experienced managing their illness before and throughout the process of fleeing their home communities and seeking resettlement in Europe. Design We designed an interview instrument with closed- and open-ended questions about diabetes diagnosis and management before fleeing the home country, during migration, stays in transit countries, and reception in the European Union. We interviewed 20 asylum seekers living in Belgian reception centres with diagnosed diabetes mellitus. Results Primary topics emerging from interviews were availability, accessibility, and quality. Belgium was described as a setting with high availability, accessibility, and quality of diabetes management components (medication, tools, care) compared to other settings before and during migration. Even in Belgium, maintaining a healthy diet as an asylum seeker was difficult. Other concerns such as safety, other health issues, and the asylum request itself often outweighed diabetes management. Conclusions Displaced people in non-western countries need attention for nutrition and diabetes medicine, so aid agencies should consider providing for those needs. For people seeking asylum in the West and living in temporary facilities, care should be paid to the dietary options available for those with diabetes. For irregular migrants, diabetes can be deadly, and resources should be made available for their basic diabetes needs, even if they are not eligible for regular health services.
Databáze: OpenAIRE