Argumentative Research-based Essay (draft 1): Housing Conditions Effects on the General Health of Refugees

     Imagine a world where you are forced to leave your home and be moved into a camp with hundreds of other people, crammed into tiny rooms with only the basic necessities of life. You no longer have your own room, food readily available to you whenever you want it, or your family to keep you company and comfort you. As you start to feel ill there is nobody there to help you, because healthcare services are not provided to everyone. You feel tired, alone and hopeless. Unfortunately, this is the terrifying reality that many refugees face today. According to the UN Refugee Agency, “by the end of 2019, 79.5 million individuals were forcibly displaced worldwide as a result of persecution, conflict, violence or human rights violations” (unrefugees.org). To put this into perspective, the amount of refugees forced out of their country by the end of 2019 was almost equivalent to the entire population of Germany. To make matters worse, this number continues to increase each year. When individuals are forced out of their homes and pushed into refugee camps they are subjected to poor living standards such as overcrowding, lack of care for the individual’s mental health, and inferior quality of housing. These factors greatly relate to the poor general health of refugees that is observed.

Overcrowding is one of the most prominent factors that cause poor health in refugees. In refugee camps it is often found that multiple individuals are forced to live together in small spaces due to a lack of housing and a growing population of refugees. This creates a major risk to both their physical and mental health. The Jalazone Refugee camp in Palestine is experiencing a global refugee crisis as their facilities are becoming overcrowded with the influx of refugees needing housing. According to a health journal found on the Gale Academic OneFile, “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 inhabitants’ health” (Al-Khatib et al., 145). The article also claims that this problem is only going to get worse as time goes on, and more refugees are brought into the camp. While individuals are forced into refugee camps they already are exposed to dangerous situations that can harm their physical health. Many of the individuals in refugee camps are violent and can be dangerous to live with and because of overcrowding, individuals are forced to live on top of one another with very limited space. Based on a sample of refugees living in the Jalazone Refugee camp, overcrowding was said to have “facilitated the spread of infectious diseases, e.g. common cold, tuberculosis, influenza” (Al-Khatib et al., 145). This is anticipated because contagious diseases are spread through close contact with other individuals and when millions of refugees are displaced into camps they are certain to share germs with one another. Individuals who become ill due to overcrowding are also not promised health care because there are too many people to treat. Since almost 90% of patients with chronic health conditions receive healthcare in Jordan, Jordan is experiencing an immense burden and they are having trouble being able to provide services for everyone in need (Doocy et al., 2). The result of overcrowding presents a negative impact on the general health of refugees, which also leads to a poor state of mind and mental health.

When refugees are forced out of their homes they experience a tremendous amount of emotions that severely impact their mental health. Oftentimes, their journey to seeking asylum presents many challenges and can be dangerous. The idea of being separated from your family and forced to live in a new country is a stressor itself. Because of this, “the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among refugees is relatively high” (Al-Khatib et al., 317). There is a lack of concern regarding the mental health of refugees which is unsettling considering the traumatization refugees have faced in the past and the hardships they face in the present. On top of this, when individuals are placed into refugee camps they now have to worry about developing illnesses and diseases that could lead to more serious and potentially fatal conditions. This adds a lot of stress to the individual’s life and it was found that, “blood pressure, anxiety and stress were higher among inhabitants who had a negative perception of their residential environment” (Al-Khatib et al., 145). This being said, when refugees are not comfortable in the environment they live in it negatively affects their mental health by making them more anxious, which also poorly contributes to their physical health by causing problems with blood pressure. It is safe to say that being forced to move to a new country causes challenges to those who already have non-communicable diseases and can no longer receive treatment in refugee camps. An article published in 2016 about Syrian refugees with chronic health conditions states that, “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” (Doocy et al., 2). The quality of life is impacted for those with non-communicable diseases (such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease) because they now have to worry about where they will seek treatment, if they will be able to receive it and how they will be able to survive without it. They are even forced to think about a shorter life expectancy if their health conditions are not receiving the proper amount of care and attention.

It is important that all refugees are given proper treatment so that their general health does not suffer and they are able to live long, healthy lives. Respiratory infections are common for refugees in camps due to the dampness inside the camps and lack of ventilation. Unfortunately, “respiratory infections are considered the third leading cause of death in infants (0 – 1 years) and children (1 – 5 years)” (Al-Khatib et al., 317). This being said, adults with chronic health issues are often given special treatment so that their health is not negatively affected. However, the same amount of attention should be given to children because respiratory infections can be fatal for them. It is important that all refugees are 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. In order to avoid this, the general conditions of refugee camps will need to be reevaluated so that all individuals can live a healthy life.

Overcrowding and a lack of concern for mental health serve as a threat to the general health of refugees. But, the most harmful contributing factor to a refugee’s general health is the poor quality of housing that they are given. A questionnaire was given to 200 housing units (about one fifth of the camp’s population) in the Jalazone Refugee Camp in Palestine. Results of this survey showed that, “there was a statistically significant relationship between some respiratory conditions (common cold, cough, tonsillitis and ear infection) and poor housing conditions (including damp and mould)” (Al-Khatib et al., 144). The disgusting conditions that refugee camps are in put refugees in danger of developing respiratory diseases that could get worse as time goes on. This is unfair to refugees because they are forced to leave their homes, they do not choose to be displaced. With this in mind, they should be given housing that will not harm their health, and will give them the proper treatment they need to survive. Al-Ama’ri Refugee Camp in the West Bank of Palestine was also investigated by The International Journal of Environmental Health Research. During their observations, “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” (Al-Khatib et al., 317). In this specific study, the refugee camp housed 148 children between the ages of seven and fourteen years. Children who develop asthma, allergy or respiratory issues at a young age are at greater risk for developing chronic health conditions when they are older. Children are not the only ones at risk. All individual’s living inside the camp are exposed to these airborne fungals that negatively impact their health and can cause chronic health issues. This being said, the cleanliness of refugee camps must be reevaluated to avert further negative health impacts on those living inside the camps.

All things considered, it is important that we address the concerns we have for those living in refugee camps so that they gain the attention they deserve, and a solution can be made to avert this crisis. The general health of refugees is at risk due to overcrowding, a lack of concern for their mental health and the poor quality of refugee camps. In order to improve the health of refugees more people need to be educated about the horrifying realities of refugees and the poor treatment they are given. This will motivate individuals to want to make a change and help avert this crisis. More funding must be given to refugee camps in order to have an adequate amount of health professionals and medicines readily available. This will give refugees the opportunity to seek help when necessary. Even if the problem does not pertain to you, you should be eager to help individuals who are not fortunate enough to be given the same opportunities and treatment that you are.

Works Cited

Al-Khatib, I, 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, 2004, doi:10.1080/09603120310001616092.

Al-Khatib, I.A, and H. Tabakhna. “Housing Conditions and Health in Jalazone Refugee Camp in Palestine Citation Metadata.” Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, vol. 12, no. 1, ser. 2, Jan. 2006. 2.

de Jong JP;Scholte WF;Koeter MW;Hart AA; “The Prevalence of Mental Health Problems in Rwandan and Burundese Refugee Camps.” Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, U.S. National Library of Medicine, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11008851/.

Doocy, Shannon, et al. “Health Service Utilization among Syrian Refugees with Chronic Health Conditions in Jordan.” PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, 13 Apr. 2016, journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0150088.

Zabaneh, J, et al. “ 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, 1 Mar. 2008, doi:10.1136/jech.2006.054338.

 

 

 

 

Argumentative Research-based Essay (Final Draft): The Effects of Housing Conditions on the General Health of Refugees

Imagine a world where you are forced to leave your home and be moved into a camp with hundreds of other people, crammed into tiny rooms with only the basic necessities of life. You no longer have your own room, food readily available to you whenever you want it, or your family to keep you company and comfort you. As you start to feel ill there is nobody there to help you, because healthcare services are not provided to everyone. You feel tired, alone and hopeless. Unfortunately, this is the terrifying reality that many refugees face today. According to the UN Refugee Agency, “by the end of 2019, 79.5 million individuals were forcibly displaced worldwide as a result of persecution, conflict, violence or human rights violations” (unrefugees.org). To put this into perspective, the amount of refugees forced out of their country by the end of 2019 was almost the same size as the population of Germany. To make matters worse, this number continues to increase each year. When individuals are forced to leave their homes and move to refugee camps they are subjected to atrocious living standards such as overcrowding, lack of care for the individual’s mental health, and poor quality of housing which greatly affect the poor general health of refugees that is observed.

Overcrowding is one of the most prominent factors that cause poor health in refugees. In refugee camps, it is often found that multiple individuals are forced to live together in small spaces due to a lack of housing and a growing population of refugees. This creates a major risk to both their physical and mental health. The Jalazone Refugee camp in Palestine is experiencing a global refugee crisis as their facilities are becoming overcrowded. According to a health journal found on the Gale Academic OneFile “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 inhabitants’ health” (Al-Khatib et al., “Housing Conditions,” 145). The authors also claim that this problem is only going to get worse as time goes on, and more refugees are brought into the camp. While individuals are forced into refugee camps they already are exposed to dangerous situations that can harm their physical health. Many of the individuals in refugee camps are violent and can be dangerous to live with and because of overcrowding, individuals are forced to live with very limited space. Based on a sample of refugees living in the Jalazone Refugee camp, overcrowding “facilitated the spread of infectious diseases, e.g. common cold, tuberculosis, influenza” (Al-Khatib et al., “Housing Conditions,” 145). This is anticipated because contagious diseases are spread through close contact with other individuals and when millions of refugees are displaced into camps they are certain to share germs with one another. Individuals who become ill due to overcrowding are also not promised health care because there are too many people to treat. Since almost 90% of patients with chronic health conditions receive healthcare in Jordan, Jordan is experiencing an immense burden and they are having trouble being able to provide services for everyone in need (Doocy et al., 2). The result of overcrowding presents a negative impact on the general health of refugees, which also leads to a poor state of mind and mental health.

When refugees are forced out of their homes, they experience a tremendous amount of emotions that severely impact their mental health. Oftentimes, their journey to seeking asylum presents many challenges and can be dangerous. Being separated from your family and forced to live in a new country is a stressor itself. Because of this, “the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among refugees is relatively high” (Al-Khatib et al., “Impact of Housing Conditions,” 317). There is a lack of concern regarding the mental health of refugees, which is unsettling considering the traumatization refugees have faced in the past and the hardships they face in the present. Furthermore, when individuals are placed into refugee camps they now have to worry about developing illnesses and diseases that could lead to more serious and potentially fatal conditions. This adds a lot of stress to the individual’s life, and it was found that, “blood pressure, anxiety and stress were higher among inhabitants who had a negative perception of their residential environment” (Al-Khatib et al., “Housing Conditions,” 145). This being said, refugees are not comfortable in the environment they live in which negatively affects their mental health by making them more anxious. This contributes to their physical health by causing problems with blood pressure. It is safe to say that being forced to move to a new country causes challenges to those who already have non-communicable diseases and can no longer receive treatment in refugee camps. An article published in 2016 about Syrian refugees with chronic health conditions states that, “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” (Doocy et al., 2). The quality of life is impacted for those with non-communicable diseases (such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease) because they now have to worry about where they will seek treatment, if they will be able to receive it and how they will be able to survive without it. They are even forced to think about a shorter life expectancy if their health conditions are not receiving the proper amount of care and attention.

It is important that all refugees are given proper treatment so that their general health does not suffer and they are able to live long, healthy lives. Respiratory infections are common for refugees in camps due to the dampness inside the camps and lack of ventilation. Unfortunately, “respiratory infections are considered the third leading cause of death in infants (0 – 1 years) and children (1 – 5 years)” (Al-Khatib et al., “Impact of Housing Conditions,” 317). Adults with chronic health issues are often given special treatment so that their health is paid closer attention to. However, the same amount of attention should be given to children because respiratory infections can be fatal for them. It is important that all refugees are 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. In order to avoid this, the general conditions of refugee camps will need to be reevaluated so that individuals have the opportunity to live a healthy life.

 

Overcrowding and a lack of concern for mental health serve as a threat to the general health of refugees. But, the most harmful contributing factor to a refugee’s general health is the poor quality of housing that they are given. A questionnaire was given to 200 housing units (about one fifth of the camp’s population) in the Jalazone Refugee Camp in Palestine. Results of this survey showed that, “there was a statistically significant relationship between some respiratory conditions (common cold, cough, tonsillitis and ear infection) and poor housing conditions (including damp and mould)” (Al-Khatib et al., “Housing Conditions,” 144). The disgusting conditions of refugee camps put refugees in danger of developing respiratory diseases that could get worse as time goes on. This is unfair to refugees because they are forced to leave their homes, they do not choose to be displaced. Al-Ama’ri Refugee Camp in the West Bank of Palestine was also investigated by The International Journal of Environmental Health Research. During their observations, “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” (Al-Khatib et al., “Impact of Housing Conditions,” 317). In this specific study, the refugee camp housed 148 children between the ages of seven and fourteen years. Children who develop asthma, allergy or respiratory issues at a young age are at greater risk for developing chronic health conditions when they are older. Children are not the only ones at risk. All individual’s living inside the camp are exposed to these airborne fungals that negatively impact their health and can cause chronic health issues. The cleanliness of refugee camps must be reevaluated to avert further negative health impacts on those living inside the camps.

All things considered, it is important that we address the concerns for those living in refugee camps so that they gain the attention they deserve, and a solution can be made to avert this crisis. The general health of refugees is at risk due to overcrowding, a lack of concern for their mental health and the poor quality of refugee camps. In order to improve the health of refugees more people need to be educated about the horrifying realities of refugees and the poor treatment they are given. Media and new services should highlight the refugee issue so that individuals are aware of the crisis and can learn more about what is going on in the world. This will motivate them to want to make a change and help avert this crisis. More funding from organizations designed to assist refugees and the public must be given to refugee camps in order to have an adequate amount of health professionals and medicines readily available. This will give refugees the opportunity to seek help when necessary. Although the refugee issue does not pertain to everyone, people should still be eager to help individuals who are not fortunate enough to be given the same opportunities and treatment.

 

Works Cited

Al-Khatib, I, 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, 2004, doi:10.1080/09603120310001616092.

Al-Khatib, I.A, and H. Tabakhna. “Housing Conditions and Health in Jalazone Refugee Camp in Palestine Citation Metadata.” Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, vol. 12, no. 1, ser. 2, Jan. 2006. 2.

de Jong JP;Scholte WF;Koeter MW;Hart AA; “The Prevalence of Mental Health Problems in Rwandan and Burundese Refugee Camps.” Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, U.S. National Library of Medicine, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11008851/.

Doocy, Shannon, et al. “Health Service Utilization among Syrian Refugees with Chronic Health Conditions in Jordan.” PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, 13 Apr. 2016, journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0150088.

How to Help Refugees – Aid, Relief and Donations: USA for UNHCR. www.unrefugees.org/.

Zabaneh, J, et al. “ 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, 1 Mar. 2008, doi:10.1136/jech.2006.054338.