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Relationships Between English Language Proficiency, Health Literacy, and Health Outcomes in Somali Refugees

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Abstract

Little is known about the impacts of health literacy and English proficiency on the health status of Somali refugees. Data came from interviews in 2009–2011 of 411 adult Somali refugees recently resettled in Massachusetts. English proficiency, health literacy, and physical and mental health were measured using the Basic English Skills Test Plus, the Short Test of Health Literacy in Adults, and the Physical and Mental Component Summaries of the Short Form-12. Associations were analyzed using multiple linear regression. In adjusted analyses, higher English proficiency was associated with worse mental health in males. English proficiency was not associated with physical health. Health literacy was associated with neither physical nor mental health. Language proficiency may adversely affect the mental health of male Somali refugees, contrary to findings in other immigrant groups. Research on underlying mechanisms and opportunities to understand this relationship are needed.

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Funding

This research was funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (Grant 1R01DE017716-01A2, Geltman, PI). Dr. Murphy was funded by a training grant through the Health Resources and Services Administration (Grant D33HP25766).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of General Internal Medicine, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Mailing Address: 245 Chapman Street, Suite 300, Providence, RI, 02905, USA

    Jessica E. Murphy

  2. Division of Global Populations and Infectious Disease Prevention, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Laura Smock & Jennifer Cochran

  3. Health Economics Unit, School of Public Health and Family Medicine at the University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa

    Jo Hunter-Adams

  4. Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Ziming Xuan

  5. Division of General Internal Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA

    Michael K. Paasche-Orlow

  6. Division of Global Populations and Refugee and Immigrant Health, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Paul L. Geltman

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  1. Jessica E. Murphy
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  2. Laura Smock
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  3. Jo Hunter-Adams
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  4. Ziming Xuan
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  6. Michael K. Paasche-Orlow
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  7. Paul L. Geltman
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Correspondence to Jessica E. Murphy.

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Murphy, J.E., Smock, L., Hunter-Adams, J. et al. Relationships Between English Language Proficiency, Health Literacy, and Health Outcomes in Somali Refugees. J Immigrant Minority Health 21, 451–460 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-018-0765-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-018-0765-y

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