Information access and preventive measures during COVID-19 among migrants and general population

Background Access to information and adherence to preventive measures are crucial for containing the COVID-19 outbreak. This study examines access to information and adherence to preventive measures during the COVID-19 pandemic among migrant origin persons and the general population. Methods Data from the Finnish MigCOVID Survey conducted 10/2020 to 2/2021 among persons aged 20 to 66 years was used (n = 3 668). Participants in Health 2017 follow-up survey were the reference group (n = 3 490). We examined age and sex-adjusted access to information by language skills and adherence to preventive measures (staying home if fluish;keeping a safety distance;wearing a face mask;good hand and coughing hygiene;avoiding traveling abroad;avoiding shaking hands with others;downloading the Koronavilkku contact tracing app). Results Persons with excellent Finnish/Swedish language skills (96.8%;95% CI 95.0-97.9) reported receiving sufficient information more often those with intermediate (92.3;95% CI 88.8-94.8) or basic (91.0%;95% CI 88.0-93.3) language skills. Overall high adherence to preventive measures was observed both among the migrant origin and the general population. However, significant differences in the migrant origin population by region of origin were observed. More pronounced differences between migrant origin persons and general population persons were observed for avoiding traveling abroad (83.7%;95% CI 81.1-86.0 vs. 96.6%;95% CI 95.6-97.3) and downloading the Koronavilkku app (42.8%;95% CI 39.8-45.9 vs. 64.3%;95% CI 61.7-66.8). Conclusions Poorer perceived access to information by language skills points to the continuous need for use of simple language and multilingual communication materials. Self-reported adherence to key preventive measures campaigned by health authorities was generally high both among persons of migrant origin and the general population, although concerns were noted in adherence to these recommendation in some regional groups. Key messages Multilingual and multichannel communication is central in crisis situations to ensure adequate access to information among different population groups. Higher incidence of COVID-19 among migrant origin persons is likely related not only to information access and adherence to preventive measures, but also to various social and structural factors.