Vaccinations of children from im/migrant families in Alberta: Equity-oriented critical policy analysis
Abstract
Immigrant and refugee (im/migrant) families settled in Alberta (AB) are often challenged to overcome structural barriers (i.e., accent discrimination, English as a foreign language, culture shock) in the way of navigating and actively utilizing vaccination services. Research is scarce on the impact of childhood vaccination policies on children of im/migrants in Alberta. The objective of this study was to use an intersectionality-based evaluation framework, inclusive of health equity principles, to critically analyze and investigate current Alberta jurisdictional (AJ) childhood vaccination policies and policy guidance. More specifically, the focus of this research was to examine equity considerations in the policies as it relates to vaccinations of im/migrant children. This critical policy analysis inquired and sought to find out to what extent vaccination of children of im/migrants are equitably accounted for in the Alberta context. Relevant sources on Alberta childhood vaccination policies and policy guidance were retrieved from the Government of Alberta (GoA) and the Government of Canada (GoC) websites. Initial and retroactive searches, within a 15 year range, led to the content analysis of a total of 25 eligible GoA and GoC-AJ document(s) using an intersectionality-based health equity lens (acknowledgment of impact of immigration status and race/ethnicity on health). All of the childhood vaccination policies and policy guidance were found to lack acknowledgement of the existence of structural barriers that im/migrant families face. Recommendations for more inclusive vaccination policies are discussed.
Notes
Future research / gaps identified:
Analyze similar vaccination policies in other provinces and to what extent they meet the needs of im/migrant families and children.
Integration timeline: not defined
Key population: newcomer children in Alberta
Open access: Yes
Community organizations: n/a
Key findings:
1) Only a handful of the policies and policy guidance alluded to the existence of children of im/migrants and only in the context of traveling and migration.
2) All of the childhood vaccination policies and policy guidance were found to lack acknowledgement of the existence of structural factors (i.e., barriers to access) influencing access to vaccination services by children of im/migrants, with no detection of applied evidence from health equity and intersectionality scholars.
Key recommendations:
1) Prioritize im/migrant children and their diverse cross-cultural needs in all Alberta childhood vaccination policies.
2) Redesign policies to better reflect diversity and promoting vaccine equity.
3) Increase bipartisan community partnerships with im/migrant parent stakeholders.
4) Embed contextually tailored care in the policy interventions to boost interprofessional collaborations on childhood vaccination of children of im/migrants
5) Weave accountability-based anti-oppression allyship in and across policies.
Location: Alberta, broadly