Promoting health among migrants to Russia and the United States: Findings and recommendation of a US-Russia civil society collaboration

Globally, the United States and the Russian Federation are the two largest receiving nations of migrants with 45.8 million and 11 million migrants, respectively. Migration has significant health implications for both migrants and the native-born population of the migrant-receiving country. Using a population-based public health approach with human life and health being a high priority for the state and society, a civil society collaboration of US and Russian experts reviewed 50 articles on migrant farmworkers in the US and 42 articles on economic migrants in Russia. Their review focused on the migrants’ health from the perspective of social determinants, health issues and behaviors, and health systems.  The most frequently identified social determinants in the U.S. were discrimination/social exclusion, difficult living and working conditions, low language competency, and low income/poverty.  In Russia, when predominantly migrants from Central Asia are studied, social determinants were difficult living and working conditions, low social support, low language competency, low education, low income/poverty, and family separation. The most frequently identified health problems in the U.S. were mental health, occupational health, communication diseases, and substance use while in Russia they were mainly communicable diseases.  Migrants share similar challenges from the health care delivery systems in both countries. The expert panel acknowledged research limitations. They finalized a white paper and drafted recommendations on ways to improve migrant health for key stakeholders in Russia and the US: policy makers, health practitioners, educators and researchers, private business representatives, religious leaders, civil society representatives, and prospective and current migrants.