The Project

Migrants are vulnerable to serious health disparities, with many of them experiencing worse health outcomes. These health risks demand effective strategies to empower migrants to recognize, minimize, and respond effectively to potential health problems in the host country. As Digital Health Literacy (DHL) is the ability to seek, find, understand, and appraise health information from electronic sources and apply the knowledge gained to addressing or solving a health problem, it could be one option to increase the health care of Newly Arrived Migrants.
EU Citizens

In detail, digitally health literate citizens are empowered to play a more active role in their health self-management, resulting in improved prevention, adherence to a healthier lifestyle and better health outcomes.
Also, DHL involves the development of proper Digital Health Skills: Operational skills; Navigation skills; Information searching; Evaluating reliability; Determining relevance; Adding content; Protecting privacy.

To sum up – the project aims to increase the competences (attitudes, knowledge, skills) of Migrants for improving their Digital Health Literacy.
Specifically:

  • To raise the awareness about the importance of Digital Health Literacy for the Migrants.
  • To develop Digital Health Skills within the Migrants population and empower them to play a more active role in their health self-management, strengthening the aspects related with the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 and other similar situations.
  • To involve and train Migrants Peers to be able to support Newcomer Migrants.
  • To train Health Professionals to be able to support the Migrants population

The project will also contribute to enhance the inclusion and integration of Migrants, as the access to social and health services is considered a primary indicator of the level of migrants’ integration.
Having access to high quality healthcare is indispensable for all people to grow and live in a healthy condition that enables them to contribute to society. Investing in health for all and bridging inequalities in the access to healthcare is key to make it possible for Migrants to contribute to their own integration and social cohesion.

With the growing access and use of digital devices in everyday life with access to internet and the digitalization of the public health administrations, the importance of DHL is also growing and defining both new additional opportunities and challenges to Migrants. However, the DHL of Migrants in Europe is low, mainly in Newcomer Migrants, due to several barriers:

  • Lack of Digital Health Skills of Migrants.
  • Lack of skills of Health Professionals for supporting them.
  • Limitations of both proficiency of the host country language and Health Literacy, which are further exacerbated by cultural barriers and economic challenges to accessing and making sense of relevant health information.
  • Low socioeconomic status and education, usually related to migrants, are recognized risk factor for a low level of health literacy.

THE STORY BEHIND THE LOGO

Refugees as a (migratory) bird trying to fly again – for this reason the wings are partially open pointing upwards (the first step has been taken), ready to open. One wing is wounded (red color – indicating a trauma, caused by “war’s flame that continues to burn causing αn internal pain”). The red wing is partially hidden behind the body (a trauma is not always visible, but it exists for real and must be properly treated). The blue color is the color of the sky, (the flying to a better future, a hopeful upward glance) – the unlimited sky, a direct connection without borders with refugees’ homeland, freedom of choices, “the head up” for a new life/start at the host country.