Vaccinations of children from im/migrant families in Alberta: Equity-oriented critical policy analysis
Abstract
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