YOLAMI, Young Labour Migrants in Chinese cities

OBJECTIVES

General objective:

To investigate how the access to health care of young people who recently migrated to large Chinese cities can be improved and how their sexual and reproductive health can be enhanced, using the workplaces as an entry point.

Specific objectives:

• To describe health needs and access to health care and health information of young labour migrants in three urban settings.
• To compare these results with the health needs and access to care of resident young Chinese workers in three urban settings.
• To develop strategies to improve health information and access to care in young migrant populations by optimising links between workplaces and health services.
• To identify feasible interventions and assess them in three urban settings.
• To evaluate the interventions in terms of efficacy and acceptability for the partners involved.
• To draw recommendations for the delivery of health services to these populations.
• To disseminate the results to economic, public or associative actors and organisations working with young migrant populations in China.

METHODS

•     KAP surveys (qualitative and quantitative methods)
•     qualitative surveys
•     quantitative surveys
•     intervention
•     monitoring of indicators

ACTIVITIES

• Literature review
• Identification of research settings: worksites in three Chinese cities: Qingdao (technical companies), Chengdu(construction sites) , Ghangzhou (labour intensive companies)
• Situation analysis : assessment of health needs and access to care of young labour migrants, situation analysis in workplaces, situation analysis in health facilities
• Strategy development to overcome experienced and perceived barriers to access health services and health information, to prepare tools and material necessary for the implementation of the intervention
• Implementation of interventions
• Monitoring of health indicators
• Evaluation
• Public dissemination
• Scientific dissemination

RESULTS

From august 2007 till February 2008, the Yolami project investigated the determinants of access of young migrants to health care and health informationThis situation analysis included: a)      Interview of key persons (representatives of migrant workers, management, health workers) b)      KAP survey among health providers c)      In depth interviews with migrant workers (90 interviews) d)      Quantitative survey and KAP survey among migrants (900 respondents) e) Observation in health facilities and workplaces f) Exit interviews among patients in health facilities. Data collected through those investigations will help to understand the reasons for increased health needs of migrant workers, to determine barriers for access to health care and to identify feasible interventions and indicators for monitoring the intervention. The results of the situation analysis are currently in process of analysis and will soon be disseminated in an extensive report and scientific articles.

EXPECTED RESULTS

Final conclusions and recommendations for Chinese and international policy makers
Articles and communications in public platforms
Articles submitted to Chinese and International peer reviewed journals