Key Takeaways

In countries across the globe, some immigrants are twice as likely to contract COVID-19 compared to those born in the country.Throughout the pandemic, immigrants have been disproportionately impacted due to poor housing conditions, jobs that make physical distancing difficult, and lack of access to affordable health care.

The study will be published in the April 2021 edition of the journalComputers in Human Behaviorand was published online in December.

Incorporating AI into health apps “might improve the quality and accuracy of health services and create a better match between immigrants’ needs and the services provided, leading to greater valuable informational capabilities and outcomes,” the study’s authorNick Drydakis, PhD, director of the Centre for Pluralist Economics at Anglia Ruskin University in England, tells Verywell.

What This Means For YouIf you’re struggling to access health care, mobile health apps may be a helpful tool and a first step to seeking treatment. If you’re a recent migrant and need assistance in navigating the health system in your area, the web appServices Advisorhelps point you to humanitarian services like food, shelter, and medicine. Another web app, Shifra provides sexual and reproductive health information in different languages.

What This Means For You

If you’re struggling to access health care, mobile health apps may be a helpful tool and a first step to seeking treatment. If you’re a recent migrant and need assistance in navigating the health system in your area, the web appServices Advisorhelps point you to humanitarian services like food, shelter, and medicine. Another web app, Shifra provides sexual and reproductive health information in different languages.

The Study

Can You Get the COVID-19 Vaccine if You’re Undocumented?

“Individuals who do not have access to health care and perceive themselves as having a stigmatizing condition are more likely to use m-Health applications for self-diagnosis,” Drydakis says. “M-Mental health applications reach population groups who might otherwise not have access to mental health or other clinical care.”

M-Integration and m-Health are terms that refer to mobile integration, which is when different apps and devices are connected to achieve a seamless data exchange in your daily life. In this case, it involves connecting health services directly to your phone.

Lack of Phones Presents Barrier To Access

While this research found that AI apps can help migrants, many do not have access to or use these apps in the first place. The study found that 32% of migrants in this study did not have a mobile phone, and 42% of migrants who did have phones did not use these applications. Women were also 27% less likely to own a mobile phone than men.

How to Get Free or Low-Cost Health Insurance

“Mobile phones and m-Integration applications seem to guarantee key human rights such as the right of information, the right to the family life, the right to work and education, the right to cultural identity maintenance, and the right to mental health,” Drydakis says. “The World Health Organization recommended the use of digital health in improving health services, particularly for vulnerable populations.”

Unique Health Risks of Migrants

While mobile applications can be helpful with integration into a new country,Dabney P. Evans, PhD, MPH, director of the Center for Humanitarian Emergencies and assistant professor of global health in Emory University Rollins School of Public Health in Georgia, tells Verywell that providers should be very cautious in how they treat migrants, particularly if they are refugees or asylum seekers.

Study: Vaccine-Preventable Outbreaks Are Rising in ICE Detention Centers

Migrant Health During COVID-19 in the U.S.

In addition to AI apps, there are other steps the U.S. can take to improve access to health care during the COVID-19 pandemic for immigrant populations. An article published in the journalPLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases recommended that the following policy changes be introduced:

4 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.What is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on immigrants and their children?Drydakis, N.Mobile applications aiming to facilitate immigrants’ societal integration and overall level of integration, health and mental health. Does artificial intelligence enhance outcomes?.Computers in Human Behavior.2021;117:106661. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2020.106661Mitel.What is mobile integration?Clark, E., Fredricks, K., Woc-Colburn, L., Bottazzi, M. and Weatherhead, J., 2020.Disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on immigrant communities in the United States.PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.2020;14(7):e0008484. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0008484

4 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.What is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on immigrants and their children?Drydakis, N.Mobile applications aiming to facilitate immigrants’ societal integration and overall level of integration, health and mental health. Does artificial intelligence enhance outcomes?.Computers in Human Behavior.2021;117:106661. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2020.106661Mitel.What is mobile integration?Clark, E., Fredricks, K., Woc-Colburn, L., Bottazzi, M. and Weatherhead, J., 2020.Disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on immigrant communities in the United States.PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.2020;14(7):e0008484. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0008484

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.What is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on immigrants and their children?Drydakis, N.Mobile applications aiming to facilitate immigrants’ societal integration and overall level of integration, health and mental health. Does artificial intelligence enhance outcomes?.Computers in Human Behavior.2021;117:106661. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2020.106661Mitel.What is mobile integration?Clark, E., Fredricks, K., Woc-Colburn, L., Bottazzi, M. and Weatherhead, J., 2020.Disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on immigrant communities in the United States.PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.2020;14(7):e0008484. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0008484

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.What is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on immigrants and their children?

Drydakis, N.Mobile applications aiming to facilitate immigrants’ societal integration and overall level of integration, health and mental health. Does artificial intelligence enhance outcomes?.Computers in Human Behavior.2021;117:106661. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2020.106661

Mitel.What is mobile integration?

Clark, E., Fredricks, K., Woc-Colburn, L., Bottazzi, M. and Weatherhead, J., 2020.Disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on immigrant communities in the United States.PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.2020;14(7):e0008484. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0008484

Meet Our Medical Expert Board

Share Feedback

Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit

What is your feedback?