INNCOVID Norge [Goolge translate: INNCOVID Norway]

The world has been turned upside down due to the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in recent weeks. In an attempt to adapt the health services' capacity to the epidemic, Norway on 12 March adopted comprehensive measures to prevent or delay the spread of the virus. The measures are aimed at the entire population and the main message is that everyone must participate in the fight against the coronavirus if we are to succeed. Infection prevention measures for the entire population are not stronger than their weakest link. Regardless of the strategy that the government chooses in the future, there are many indications that the measures such as good hygiene and reduced frequency of contact will be valid for several months to come, perhaps as long as 1-2 years. Compliance with the population is a crucial factor in such a situation, and the whole society must be involved. At the time of writing, 22% of all infected people in Norway were born outside Norway, while the proportion of immigrants in the population is below 15%. Immigrants from Somalia are particularly affected. Immigrants also appear to be harder hit than the majority population of the corona epidemic in other European countries. Despite the fact that the countries' health authorities have had different strategies for dealing with the epidemic and translating information, it seems that information alone on regular channels is not enough to reach all immigrants. For all people, there are other factors besides information that play a role in understanding and managing health risks and disease. Some of these factors are culturally dependent, while others are related to socio-economic status. In order to be able to offer all people in Norway equal health services that are adapted to their needs, we need to understand all these factors and how they affect the different ones. The aim of this project is to study immigrants' i) access to information, ii) understanding and management of risk and recommended measures and iii) management of disease during the covid epidemic in Norway. We will collect information from immigrants from Poland, Syria, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Chile, through personal telephone interviews and an online questionnaire. By analyzing the data in close collaboration with the immigrant communities, we will be able to advise the authorities so that they can adapt and disseminate information about both the corona outbreak and the recommendations through correct and relevant social channels. We believe that this will increase compliance with the recommendations to prevent infection, and improve the management of those who become ill with covid-19. The professional publications that will follow the project will also be useful for future situations when the health authorities need to disseminate information to immigrants in a trustworthy and effective way both nationally and internationally. Project partners include professionals and health workers from the five immigrant groups we include in the study and who already have good knowledge of and contacts in these environments. By including fairly heterogeneous immigrant groups in the project, we will both gain specific knowledge about some of the largest immigrant groups, and at the same time more generalizable information about immigrants as a large group. We consider the project to be solid and feasible, given the professional competence of the group and the close collaboration with the user group.