Health Needs and Priorities of an Underserved Karenni Refugee Community: A Community Needs Assessment

N C Med J. 2024 Jun;85(4):283-288. doi: 10.18043/001c.118583.

Abstract

Background: Southeast Asian refugee communities are frequently underserved by social and medical systems and experience profound health and health care inequities. The purpose of this study was to detail the health needs, priorities, and health care utilization of the Karenni, a Southeast Asian refugee community, in Forsyth County, North Carolina.

Methods: A mixed-mode survey (i.e., online and in-person) was distributed in Kayah, Burmese, and English to Karenni adults in Forsyth County. Quantitative and qualitative questions focused on community health needs, health and public health service utilization, and social determinants of health.

Results: 101 Karenni adults completed the survey, with a total of 91 participants completing the quantitative portion (N = 91). Utilization of health care and public health services was low and impacted by individual- and contextual-level barriers, such as limited English profi-ciency and social determinants of health (e.g., lower levels of education and employment compared to state and national averages). Mental health, chronic pain, and health care access were highlighted as prominent community concerns while theh plaw theh jie (togetherness) and community organizations were described as community strengths.

Limitations: Data were collected using convenience sampling, and limited knowledge from the Karenni community regarding research served as a barrier to recruitment. Some sensitive questions (e.g., income) also experienced higher levels of missingness.

Conclusion: This assessment highlights the need to increase engagement with and lower barriers to care for the Karenni community in Forsyth County, North Carolina. To produce culturally congruent and acceptable care, public health and health care systems should partner with the community to identify and address community needs and priorities, harness assets, and mitigate health and health care inequities.

Keywords: Ana D. Sucaldito; Karenni; North Carolina; Wake Forest School of Medicine; community health; needs assessment; public health; refugees.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Female
  • Health Services Accessibility
  • Health Services Needs and Demand
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Needs Assessment*
  • North Carolina
  • Refugees* / statistics & numerical data
  • Social Determinants of Health
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Young Adult