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Assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic among Venezuelan refugees and migrants in Colombia using respondent-driven sampling (RDS).
Pham, Phuong N; Keegan, Katrina; Johnston, Lisa Grazina; Rodas, Jose; Restrepo, Maria Alejandra; Wei, Carol; Vinck, Patrick.
  • Pham PN; Department of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA ppham@hsph.harvard.edu.
  • Keegan K; Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
  • Johnston LG; Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
  • Rodas J; Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
  • Restrepo MA; LGJ Consultants Inc, Valencia, Spain.
  • Wei C; INVAMER, Medellín, Colombia.
  • Vinck P; INVAMER, Medellín, Colombia.
BMJ Open ; 12(10): e054820, 2022 10 05.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2053204
ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES:

To determine factors associated with adherence to COVID-19 mitigation measures, related symptoms and testing, as well as pandemic-related income loss among Venezuelan refugee and migrant adults in urban and border areas of Colombia.

DESIGN:

Phone-based respondent-driven sampling

SETTING:

Bogotá and Norte de Santander, Colombia.

PARTICIPANTS:

605 adult Venezuelan refugees and migrants residing in Bogotá (n=305) and Norte de Santander (n=300), who arrived in Colombia after 2014 and completed the survey in August and September 2020. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME

MEASURES:

Full COVID-19 compliance (vs incomplete or no compliance), any COVID-19-related symptoms (vs none) and income loss due to isolation measures in Colombia (vs no income change or increase in income).

RESULTS:

Older age was associated with lower odds of compliance with physical distancing measures (0.94, 0.90-0.99; p=0.01) for those in Bogotá. Nearly 15% of refugees and migrants in both locations (81 of 605) experienced at least one symptom consistent with COVID-19. Having a health condition was associated with higher odds of experiencing COVID-19-related symptoms in Bogotá (4.00, 1.22-13.06; p=0.02) and Norte de Santander (6.99, 1.95-24.99; p=0.003). Around 8% in both locations (48 of 605) were tested for COVID-19. Around 90% in both locations (537 of 605) had trouble earning an income after the introduction of isolation measures, and the median reported monthly income decreased by half in Bogotá and by 30% in Norte de Santander. A higher level of education (3.46, 1.02-11.75; p=0.05) was associated with higher odds of income loss among participants in Norte de Santander.

CONCLUSIONS:

Results indicate high compliance with COVID-19 mitigation measures, low testing rates and high pandemic-related income loss among Venezuelan refugees and migrants in Colombia. This study provides insights into a hard-to-reach refugee and migrant population in Colombia; additional study on the effects of the pandemic on hidden populations is warranted.
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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Refugees / Transients and Migrants / COVID-19 Type of study: Experimental Studies / Observational study / Prognostic study / Randomized controlled trials Limits: Adult / Humans Country/Region as subject: South America / Colombia / Venezuela Language: English Journal: BMJ Open Year: 2022 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: Bmjopen-2021-054820

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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Refugees / Transients and Migrants / COVID-19 Type of study: Experimental Studies / Observational study / Prognostic study / Randomized controlled trials Limits: Adult / Humans Country/Region as subject: South America / Colombia / Venezuela Language: English Journal: BMJ Open Year: 2022 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: Bmjopen-2021-054820