Disparities in use of preventive health services across migrant backgrounds in Belgium

Description: Previous research has documented disparities in access to healthcare services between individuals from migrant backgrounds and those belonging to the native host population. In the case of preventive healthcare services such as cancer screenings, these disparities may lead to the late-stage detection of cancers in people from migration backgrounds, increasing their risk of adverse health outcomes. Using administrative data, this project seeks to document the migrant differences in use of preventive healthcare services, and to examine the heterogeneity in these differences within and between migrant groups (e.g. generational status, length of stay and country of origin). It will further study the different mechanisms which could explain these differences, such as socioeconomic position, neighbourhood composition (e.g. ethnic density and socioeconomic deprivation), a well as explore other mechanisms relevant to ethnicity (e.g. language, health literacy, taboos).
Promoter(s): Sorana Toma , Sara Willems , Katrien Vanthomme
Researcher(s): Sarah Derveeuw
Faculty / Faculties: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
Period of time: 2022 - 2026