A Family-based Child Health Education Curriculum for Refugee Families

Background: Refugees are at risk for low health literacy and high rates of illness and hospitalization. A partnership between medical professionals at Yale and two New-Haven, CT-based refugee resettlement organizations aimed to create and implement a family-based, interactive pediatric healthcare curriculum with a goal of increasing childhood health knowledge among refugee families.

Methods: Seven 1-hour, in-person classes and 1 virtual class were taught by pediatric residents with real-time translation in Pashto, Dari, Arabic, Swahili, and Kinyarwanda on the topics of child nutrition, safety, parenting, and oral health. Each class incorporated play-based activities for toddlers—a My Healthy Plate puzzle, street-crossing simulation, teeth-brushing demonstration, and block play—which were integrated into parental discussion with visual aids. Knowledge acquisition and satisfaction was assessed using pre- and post-tests.

Results: 67 adult participants had an 85% response rate. Average knowledge test scores increased in 5 of 7 classes, reaching significance in a class on parenting (mean 52% vs 90%, paired t-test p = 0.03) and child safety (mean 80% vs 97%, p = 0.04). 100% of respondents (67% response rate) reported increased understanding of the topic and would recommend the class to a friend. There were 5 participants for the virtual class.

Conclusion: Child health education classes conducted for refugee families can improve knowledge of pediatric healthcare topics and provide positive experiences. A close relationship between healthcare providers and community refugee organizations has the potential to improve health education in refugee families. Future studies will assess efficacy and satisfaction of virtual classes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Presenting Author(s)

Kaitlin Quallen, MD
Resident
Yale School of Medicine
Yale New Haven Hospital
New Haven, Connecticut
Disclosure: No Financial Relationships Disclosed

Co-Author(s)

SA
Sofia Athanasopolou, MD
Resident
Yale School of Medicine
NEW HAVEN, Connecticut
Disclosure: No Financial Relationships Disclosed
DS
Devika Sparks, MD
Resident
Yale School of Medicine
New Haven, Connecticut
Disclosure: No Financial Relationships Disclosed
Meghan A. Wilson, MD, MPH
Chief Resident
Yale School of Medicine
New Haven, Connecticut
Disclosure: No Financial Relationships Disclosed
Alexis Rudd, MD
Clinical Fellow, Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Nicklaus Children's Hospital/FIU
Coral Gables, Florida
Disclosure: No Financial Relationships Disclosed
JP
Joshua Pulinat, MD
Fellow
Cohen Children's Hospital
New Haven, Connecticut
Disclosure: No Financial Relationships Disclosed
FG
Fereshteh Ganjavi, n/a
Founder
Elena's Light
New Haven, Connecticut
Disclosure: No Financial Relationships Disclosed
ND
Nan Du, MD
Fellow
Boston Children's Hospital
Brookline, Massachusetts
Disclosure: No Financial Relationships Disclosed
HS
Henna A. Shaikh, MD
Fellow
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
New Haven, Connecticut
Disclosure: No Financial Relationships Disclosed
PA
Pooja Agrawal, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor
Yale School of Medicine
New Haven, Connecticut
Disclosure: No Financial Relationships Disclosed
JR
Julia Rosenberg, MD, MPH
Instructor
Yale School of Medicine
New Haven, Connecticut
Disclosure: No Financial Relationships Disclosed
CB
Camille Brown, MD
Assistant Professor
Yale School of Medicine
New Haven, Connecticut
Disclosure: No Financial Relationships Disclosed

Senior Author(s)

FC
Frances Y. Cheng, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics
Yale University School of Medicine
New Haven, Connecticut
Disclosure: No Financial Relationships Disclosed

Co-Author(s)

Shannon O'Malley, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Yale School of Medicine
Yale School of Medicine
North Branford, Connecticut
Disclosure: No Financial Relationships Disclosed