Abbie Gumpright

Professor James Phillips

English 170-22

 

Proposal Outline with Thesis for Argumentative research-based Essay

Research-based Argumentative Essay: Topic Proposal and Outline

Thesis (in one sentence):

The general health of refugees in refugee camps are at risk because of overcrowding, the poor quality of housing and the lack of care for their mental health.

 

List at least two potential Main Points based on your mapping. (Phrases are OK.):
A. Overcrowding is causing poor health for individuals in refugee camps which leads to healthcare systems having trouble providing treatment for the increasing number of refugees with chronic health issues.
B. Poor quality of housing such as dampness and presence of mould is aiding the poor health of refugees.
C. The unfair treatment and care for refugees negatively impacts their mental health.

 

Counterargument (You will need at least two, but one is enough for now. Phrases are OK.):
Adults with chronic health issues are given special treatment so that their health is not negatively affected.
etc.

 

Rebuttal (Phrases are OK.):
However, all refugees should be treated fairly and given access to the components that help them live a healthy life, not only those with preexisting health conditions.

 

 

 

 

Proposal Outline Draft 2:

Thesis (in one sentence):
The general health of refugees is poor due to overcrowding, inferior quality of housing and lack of care for their mental health.

 

List at least two potential Main Points based on your mapping. (Phrases are OK.):
A. Overcrowding is causing poor health for individuals in refugee camps. In response to this, healthcare systems are also having trouble providing treatment for the increasing number of refugees with chronic health issues.
B. Poor quality of housing such as dampness and presence of mould is aiding the poor health of refugees.
C. The unfair treatment and care for refugees negatively impacts their mental health, which takes a toll on their general health status.

 

Counterargument (You will need at least two, but one is enough for now. Phrases are OK.):
A. Adults with chronic health issues are given special treatment so that their health is not
negatively affected.
etc.

Rebuttal (Phrases are OK.):
A. However, all refugees should be treated fairly and given access to the components that
help them live a healthy life, not only those with preexisting health conditions. Children who are exposed to these health issues at an early age are more likely to develop health conditions that will worsen with age.

 

 

 

 

 

Research Notes for Argumentative Research-based Essay

 

According to the UNRWA surveys, respiratory infections are still considered the third leading cause of death in infants (0 – 1 years) and children (1 – 5 years), with mortality rates equal to 19% and 12.9% respectively (UNRWA 1998).In a survey conducted in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1995, physicians estimated that acute respiratory infections were the cause of morbidity in 50% of ill children below 5 years(Khoja et al. 1999).Several studies in the available literature have pointed to the relationship between house dampness, moulds, and respiratory health status in children, as follows:In a European study examining the association between home dampness, peak flowvariability and frequency of respiratory symptoms during the winter of 1993 – 1994; it was shown that the prevalence of cough and upper respiratory symptoms was significantly higher in children living in houses with reported moulds, than in dry homes. Also there was a positive correlation between the peak flow variability of respiratory symptoms and the existence of molds. Reported moisture stains and moulds were used as indicators for home dampness(Andriessen et al. 1998). An empirical study was conducted to identify the association between measures of house dampness, levels of airborne fungal spores, housing factors and the health outcomes in children. This study was conducted in Australia on 80 households with 148 children aged 7 – 14 years for the period between March 1994 and February 1995.Samples for airborne fungal spores were collected six times from bedrooms, living rooms,kitchens, and outdoors. The findings indicated that indoor exposure to certain fungal kinds in winter was a risk factor for asthma, allergy, and respiratory symptoms (Garrettet al. 1998) (pg 317)

Source
Al-Khatib IA, et al. “Impact of Housing Conditions on the Health of the People at Al-Ama’ri
Refugee Camp in the West Bank of Palestine.” International Journal of Environmental Health Research, vol. 13, no. 4, Dec. 2003, pp. 315–326. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/09603120310001616092

– Respiratory infections are the third leading cause of death in infants and children

– About 50% of sick children under 5 years of age passed away due to acute respiratory infections in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

– There is a correlation between house dampness, moulds, and respiratory health status in children

– Children who live in homes with moulds had a greater chance of having a cough and upper respiratory symptoms

– Different fugals commonly found in refugee camps cause a greater risk factor for asthma, allergy and respiratory symptoms.

 

 

 

Of 1363 cases with a chronic health condition diagnosis, 84.7% had received care in Jordan. Public facilities faced a heavy burden serving over half (53.9%) of care-seekers; the remainder received care in the private (29.6%) and NGO/charity (16.6%) sectors. Individuals with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the central region of Jordan and with arthritis had the lowest rates of care-seeking when compared to other regions and conditions. Overall, 31.6% of care-seekers had an out-of-pocket payment for the most recent care-seeking event which averaged 18.8 USD (median = 0 USD), excluding cost of medications. Forced displacement presents major challenges to those with NCDs, which have the potential to seriously impact both the quality of life and life expectancy amongst refugees. NCD patterns among Syrian refugees indicate the importance of continuing support to public sector services in Jordan to adequately meet expanding needs and ensure appropriate prevention and control of priority NCDs. (Results and Discussion).

Source
Doocy, S., Lyles, E., Akhu-Zaheya, L., Oweis, A., Ward, N. A., & Burton, A. (2016, April 13).
Health Service Utilization among Syrian Refugees with Chronic Health Conditions in Jordan. Retrieved October 13, 2020.

– Almost 90% of patients with chronic health conditions receive healthcare in Jordan

– Jordan cannot provide healthcare to all refugees because it creates an immense burden

– Refugees are forced out of their country, many of which have non-communicable diseases and can no longer receive treatment in refugee camps.

– The quality of life and life expectancy of refugees is greatly affected by the healthcare they can receive.

– As NCD patterns among Syrian refugees continue to increase, Jordan needs more help to adequately meet the needs of refugees and to prevent and control the spread of NCDs

 

 

With the natural and gradual increase in the population, the housing problem became more complicated, and had (and still has) a negative impact on the inhabi- tants’ health. These problems are expected to become worse as time goes by [2]. The camp now has 1050 families with a population of about 6250 persons (M. Adar- beh, Jalazone Refugee Camp Office Head, personal communication, 2002) living on a limited piece of land of 225 dunums (1 dunum = 1000 m2). In 1949 the population was 3500 people, living in tents [2]. Many studies have confirmed the relation between housing conditions and health [3–7]. Direct factors included site of residential area, building materials, natural lighting and ventilation, crowding and availability of and access to water and sani- tation. Indirect factors included proximity to health care facilities, access to education, transportation and place of employment and tenure. Conditions inside the home can have a significant effect on health. It has been found that dampness in the home was the major environmental factor that could be linked to many respiratory diseases: cold, bronchitis, sore throat and ear infection [8]. Cold and dampness in the home may lead to respiratory diseases, infections and allergies [9,10]. People in damp housing pay more for health services than people living in healthy housing [11]. In a study carried out in Ramallah, Palestine, it was found that poor ventilation caused dampness and this may lead to tuberculosis, dyspepsia, allergies and psychological illness [12]. Overcrowding facilitated the spread of infectious diseases, e.g. common cold, tuberculosis, influenza. It also led to psychological stress: blood pres- sure, anxiety and stress were higher among inhabitants who had a negative perception of their residential environment. (pg 145).

Source
Al-Khatib, I.A., and H. Tabakhna. “Housing conditions and health in Jalazone Refugee Camp in Palestine.” Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, vol. 12, no. 1-2, 2006, p. 144+. Gale Academic OneFile, Accessed 13 Oct. 2020.

– Jalazone refugee camp is slowly becoming more and more overcrowded as the population of refugees increases

– Housing problem has a negative impact on the inhabitants health

– Camp has 1050 families with a population of 6250 persons

– Site of residential area, building materials, natural lighting, and ventilation, crowding and availability of and access to water and sanitation are all direct risk factors of poor health

– Proximity to health care facilities, access to education, transportation and place of employment and tenure are all indirect factors of poor health

– Dampness in the home is the major environmental factor linked to respiratory diseases such as: cold, bronchitis, sore throat and ear infection

-Dampness is commonly caused by poor ventilation in the refugee camps

-Overcrowding aided the spread of infectious diseases (common cold, tuberculosis, influenza)

-This also leads to mental health issues because inhabitants are more stressed and anxious about catching diseases
This study was carried out in exceptional and difficult circumstances.

 

 

 

 

The atmosphere in the refugee camps was threatening and sometimes violent, and there was a general feeling of insecurity. Refugees feared to be repatriated or displaced to other camps by force, and suspected humanitarian organizations to collaborate to this end. In this context, it was extremely difficult and even hazar- dous for a western humanitarian organization to carry out a survey. For this survey, the GHQ-28 appeared to be sufficiently ‘neutral’. In two cases, however, a paranoid reaction to the interview caused our personnel to leave the area, in spite of our effort to inform the population through its leaders about the aim of the interviews. The prevalence of mental health problems is estimated as approximately 50%. Given the stan- dard error of 0.12, however, the defacto prevalence may be 26% minimally and 74% maximally (the 95% confidence interval). Even in the first case, a huge number (90000) of individuals has serious psycho- logical problems. (pg 174,175).

Source
de Jong JP, Scholte WF, Koeter MW, Hart AA. The prevalence of mental health problems in Rwandan and Burundese refugee camps. Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica. 2000;102(3):171-177. Accessed October 26, 2020. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=mnh&AN=11008851&site=ehost-live

– Refugee camps were threatening and sometimes violent with a general feeling of insecurity

– Refugees feared that they would be displaced again

-50% of refugees surveyed had mental health problems

– A large number of individuals (about 9,000) had serious psychological problems

 

 

 

 

Links between poor environmental conditions and ill health have been postulated, with overcrowding, cold, dampness, mould and poor sanitation suggested to contribute to poor physical and mental health.[9-13] There are acknowledged limitations with research in this area, including difficulties with the generalisability of small scale studies, lack of clarity around the direct (e.g. the physical characteristics of the housing) and indirect (e.g. demographic and social characteristics of the occupants) effects on health, and the lack of agreement on definitions such as overcrowding.[13-16] Even with such limitations, however, there is evidence to suggest a link between poorer housing and health with long-term impacts on children, although most of this has been conducted in the UK, Europe and America (pg 5).

Source
Zabaneh, J. E., G. C. M. Watt, and O’Donnell C.A. “Living and Health Conditions of Palestinian
Refugees in an Unofficial Camp in the Lebanon: A Cross-Sectional Survey.” Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, vol. 62, no. 2, 2008, pp. 91. ProQuest.

 

– Refugee camps in Palestine

– Poor environmental conditions and ill health are linked

– Overcrowding, cold, dampness, mould and poor sanitation are contributing factors

-Inhabitants have poor physical and mental health

– Long term impacts on children