The impact of migration on socioeconomic conditions and health in Nicaragua Cecilia Gustafsson, Ph'D

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The impact of migration on socioeconomic
conditions and health in NicaraguaCecilia
Gustafsson, Ph.D. Student Dept. of Social and
Economic Geography Umeå University, Sweden

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Population 5,5 million 50 on Pacific Coast 60
in urban areas
Map www.vianica.com
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La Basílica Catedral de la Asunción, León
Photo by Filippo Gherardi
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Population 5,5 million 50 on Pacific Coast 60
in urban areas
Map www.vianica.com
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Cinco Pinos, Zona Norte de Chinandega
Photo www.molletvalles.net
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Migration and economic crisis

• Second poorest country in Latin America
• High levels of unemployment
• Large informal sector
• 10 20 of Nicaraguans are living abroad
• 47 live in Costa Rica, 38 in the U.S.
• 1980 2,5
• 1995 5
• 2005 11
• High levels of remittances inflows

Political factors
Economic crisis
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Health care in Nicaragua

• Relatively good access to public health care
  services, but large geographical differencies
• Problems shortages, low capacity, lacking
  resources ? private health care
• Households spend as much as the Government on
  health care -
• 50 of total expenditure on health

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Migration and health

• Quantitative studies (mostly)
• A specific disease, e.g. HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis,
  Cardiovascular disease
• Mental health (refugees)
• Challenges for health care systems
• Changes in use of health-care services
• Urbanization and health effects
• Migration of health care professionals
• Health effects for specific groups, e.g. women,
  children
• Health inequalities between groups and areas

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Aim

• To analyse in what ways Nicaraguan peoples
  socioeconomic conditions and health is affected
  by migration events
• Focus
• Changes in social networks and social capital ?
  impact on socioeconomic conditions and health
• Impact of remittances on socioeconomic conditions
  and health

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Theoretical framework

• The meso level collectives and social networks
  (Faist, 2000)
• Social network, social capital and health (e.g.
  Berkman Breslaw 1983, Cohen Syme 1985, Cohen
  et al 2000)
• provides psychological and material resources
  needed to cope with stress
• promotes healthy behaviours, relieves stress,
  physical hardship, emotional difficulties

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Empirical material

• In-depth interviews with
• Emigrants
• In-migrants
• Family members left behind
• Themes migration events remittances health
  situation, social relations, living conditions
• (changes due to migration)

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Methods of analysis

• Grounded Theory
• Identify categories of related phenomena
• Biographical approach
• The individuals experiences
• The dynamics surrounding actions

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Results

• Overall negative impact on mental health
• Emigrants in-migrants living and working
  conditions, eating habits, violence
• Emigrants legal status insurance access
• In-migrants improved access lack of insurances
  access blocked
• Left-behinds relations support health
  effects
• The social network important

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• Migration
• Social relations (emotional, economical support)
• Living working conditions
• Access to health care
• Influencing factors policy issues
• Negative/positive impacts on health
• The social network fills in the gap

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Research plan

• Spring 2007 Interviews and analysis
• Autumn 2007-2008 More interviews, further
  analysis
• 2008 Quantitative study
• Analyses of surveillance data from both
  settings
• In- and out-migration, health status, use of
  health care
• socioeconomic situation, social networks,
  remittances

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• Thank you!
• cecilia.gustafsson_at_geography.umu.se