Lost in Translation? : How health literacy impacts refugees in Sweden

Abstract: The covid-19 pandemic has resulted in millions of lost lives, hundreds of millions ill, and an unwelcome interruption in our lives and in the world order. During the pandemic, we have been fed with massive amounts of information and regulations on how to act to reduce the spread of the virus. To properly make use of the information we receive, health literacy is needed. Health literacy is the basic reading and writing skills that enable us to obtain health-related information. However, the information we are given often requires advanced reading skills, contextual knowledge, and capabilities to process and adapt the information to personal situations. These are requirements that can prove challenging for individuals with little or no previous education. This study seeks to answer how health literacy impacts the capability to access and process information, and how accessible information regarding the covid-19 pandemic is. The study focuses on refugees, with little or no education studying at Swedish For Immigrants (SFI) track 1. Refugees are relevant to study as refugees are more socio-economically vulnerable, have been seen to be disproportionately affected by the covid-19 pandemic, and can be argued to face greater challenges in accessing information. The study is done through a small number of interviews with individuals from the focus group. The results indicate that the respondents have good knowledge of common symptoms and measures to avoid spreading the virus. However, the findings do show that the information material available on the Swedish authorities’ websites is too difficult to understand for someone with limited reading skills. This also applies to material that is claimed to be easy to read. Yet, the respondents do grasp the overall content due to pictures and illustrations. The findings are compared to a survey of information during the pandemic among non-fluent Swedish speakers conducted by MSB. The comparison shows support for certain findings from the interviews.