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Summary of panelists' ratings for each barrier to quality healthcare as a moderate and principal barrier by number and percentage.
Source publication
Health disparities within rural communities, notably those affecting migrant and refugee populations, are well-documented. Refugees often grapple with high disease burdens and mortality rates due to limited access to primary healthcare and their vulnerable socio-economic and political situations. This issue is particularly acute in the rural areas...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... strategy that was considered by most of our respondents as being "extremely effective" was that which proposed the creation of more local healthcare centers (barrier 6), while the strategy receiving the least number of votes in that section was the one that proposed the incorporation of a local cooperative system to aid in the navigation of the healthcare system (barrier 4). Our panelists were presented with nine possible barriers to receiving quality healthcare (Table 3). Barriers 1-5 were identified as "moderate or principal barriers" by 80% or more of our respondents, and barriers 6-8 were considered to have the same identification by 77% or our respondents. ...Citations
... 21 Nevertheless, the severe shortage of mental health services means that individuals seeking non-emergency care, including those in need of mental health support, are often turned away or unable to access care. 22 Notably, suicide rates are significantly higher in areas with fewer mental health services. 19 Even where services are available, stigma from family, community, colleagues and the media remains a recognised barrier to accessing mental health care due to a profound lack of understanding of the causes of mental illness. ...
... 46 However, there remain profound limitations in the equity of access to mental health services due to poor infrastructure, shortages in trained mental health clinicians and poor funding. 10,19,22,23,47 Acknowledging that a digital divide persists in Colombia, 48 digital health technologies offer a critical opportunity to improve access to and affordability of high quality and evidence-based mental health care for individuals, families and communities. 39,49,50 This paper aims to explore the feasibility of digital mental health across Colombia by characterising the sample of Colombian young people, adults and older adults who have sought counselling and support through Mentes Colectivas, a web-based mental health platform (detailed further in the Methods section). ...
... 54 K6 items are ranked on a 5-point Likert scale with scores summed to a maximum possible total score of 24. Total scores are classified into four categories: 'no psychological distress' (0-7), 'mild' (8-12), 'moderate' (13)(14)(15)(16)(17) and 'severe' (18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24). 54 All other data is entered by the counsellor assigned to the user using a tick box form embedded within Mentes Colectivas that collects information about level of functional impairment (i.e., none or minimal, mild, moderate and high), presenting symptoms or problems (e.g., breakup, grief, mild anxiety symptoms, sleep disturbances and unstructured suicidal thoughts) and self-reported mental health warning signs (e.g., alterations in psychological functioning, self-harm, structured suicidal thoughts). ...
Objective
Colombia's mental health system is plagued by significant shortages in services and health professionals. Digital health technologies enable access to information and care, overcoming barriers related to systemic limitations, geographic location, cost and stigma. This paper aims to characterise the sample of Colombians who sought telecounselling and support through Mentes Colectivas, a web-based mental health counselling platform.
Methods
Participants provided basic demographics and completed the Kessler 6 to track psychological distress. Counsellors collected information about participants’ level of functional impairment, presenting problems, mental health warning signs and session attendance. Descriptive statistics were used to characterise the sample. A range of inferential statistics were used to analyse group differences based on age and session, explore associations within clinical presentations, examine predictors of session attendance and analyse clinical differences between episodes of care.
Results
A total of 6442 participants (mean age = 33.6 years; 78.5% female) attended an initial session, with 35.7% returning for at least one follow-up session. Participants on average reported moderate levels of psychological distress, with young people reporting significantly higher distress relative to adults and older adults. Symptoms of anxiety and depression and sleep disturbances were most common.
Conclusions
This research confirms the feasibility of Mentes Colectivas to promote help-seeking and support self-management of mental health across the lifespan in Colombia. Digital health technologies have the potential to play a vital role in increasing equity of access to care for the Colombian population, improving mental health and functioning as well as potentially strengthening the health of families and communities.
... The combination of these socioeconomic factors creates an environment where Chinese immigrants may face significant difficulties in maintaining good health. Job insecurity and lack of social security can also increase stress and anxiety, known risk factors for cardiovascular and other chronic diseases [17]. ...
The Chinese community is one of the main minorities in Colombia, and although China has made advances in public health, it faces a growing burden of cardiovascular diseases. This study focuses on evaluating cardiovascular risk factors in Chinese immigrants in Barranquilla, Colombia, due to the lack of specific data on this population. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 67 Chinese immigrants over 18 years of age residing in Barranquilla. Sociodemographic, anthropometric, clinical, and biochemical data were collected through structured interviews and medical record reviews. Cardiovascular risk was estimated using the 10-year ASCVD (Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease) formula from the ACC/AHA. Statistical tests were employed to assess significant differences and relationships between variables. Results: The sample included 54% women with an average age of 53 years. 75% were over 45 years old, with the main occupations being trade (43%) and homemaking (40%). 54% had social security. Significant differences were observed in systolic blood pressure and the prevalence of smoking and alcoholism between men and women. Women had higher levels of HDL and lower creatinine, while men had higher levels of hemoglobin and creatinine. Cardiovascular risk was high in 9% of cases, moderate in 39%, and low in 52%. Conclusions: Chinese immigrants in Barranquilla present a significant prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors influenced by their socioeconomic situation and barriers to accessing healthcare. Interventions should focus on improving access to healthcare services and promoting healthy lifestyles for this vulnerable community.
