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Colonialism and Immigration as a Social Determinant of Health

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Introduction
Social determinants of health are an increasingly growing public health concern. They
present evidence highlighting higher susceptibility to illnesses and diseases among particular
socio-economic and physical environments. Social determinants of health are the non-medical
conditions that people are born, grow, live, and work on, which influence health outcomes. They
include education, racism, discrimination, social support networks, access to healthcare,
colonialism, and migration. Colonialism and immigration are the key focus in this assignment as
the social determinants of health. Colonialism has been directly linked to indigenous health since
it brings out racial and ethnic discrimination issues. Immigration, on the other hand, has forced
individuals to leave their typical environment and adapt to new social, political, and economic
backgrounds. Immigrants mostly have limited choices based on their race, ethnicity, or gender,
thus making it difficult for them to have a conducive relationship, even with their health services.
Colonialism and immigration as social determinants of health have significantly impacted the
indigenous communities across the world, thus increasing the need for public health researchers
to focus more on overcoming these challenges. Therefore, the search conducted in this
assignment will focus on the health-related experiences of the Oceania (Micronesian) community
in Hawaii, impacted by both colonialism and immigration.
Micronesians are the indigenous people of the ethno geographic group of the Pacific
Islands, a region of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. Being a native community, they have
significantly faced the wrath of colonization and immigration. In the current evolving world and
changing times, native communities are not highly regarded and face many challenges based on
their culture, race, and ethnicity in various parts of the world. Micronesians in Hawaii, however,
have a long history of mobilizing to address challenges they encounter as the most recent and
fastest-growing native community immigrating into the United States (Shek et al., 2021). Most
immigrants in numerous countries face the challenge of healthcare access, thus significantly
affecting how these individuals respond to healthcare situations.
Colonialism as a social determinant of health
Various countries had colonized the Micronesian native community during the colonial
period. As an indigenous community, they had their own culture and their own experience of
doing things, such as using plants as sources of traditional medicine and depending on their
means to get their food source. However, with colonization, early contacts with their colonizers
introduced infectious diseases to the people (Rehuher et al., 2021). Since the people did not
know how to deal with them, most of the population lost their lives to the diseases. This also
brought about numerous health disparities in the region. Among them included the community
having to depend on their colonizers to acquire medication for the newly introduced diseases.
Eventually, the Micronesians lost their culture and had to rely on foreign aid and battle with
severe health conditions.
Currently, colonialism is still not a finished project in the Oceanic community.
Healthcare is considered the best among the colonizers, and these native communities still have
to seek it from them. It has dramatically affected the native communities on all aspects of health,
including mental health, which caused traumas to the communities from the introduction to a
new way of life and adapting to it (Horwood et al., 2019). Despite the invasion by colonizers,
indigenous communities have always wanted to preserve their culture and pass it on to the next
generations. Additionally, as the colonizers landed in the region, intermarriages between the
native communities and the colonizers were witnessed. However, this was a significant
determinant of health since with the mixing of genetic makeup, various health conditions would
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arise that had previously not been seen. Colonization greatly limited the available resources and
opportunities among the Micronesians and eventually affected their health.
Immigration as a social determinant of health
Migration also is another excellent social determinant of health among the Micronesians.
Since colonization, their migration into other countries has significantly impacted their health
and affected their access to health. Migration and immigration are associated with social
stratification, health inequality, discrimination, and racial disparities in health outcomes.
According to research, there is not much immigration of foreigners into the Oceanic
communities. However, several factors contributed to Micronesians migrating into the United
States. This affected their health in various ways contributing to the increased health disparities,
not just for the immigrants but also for the entire population in the United States. According to
research, immigrants from native communities such as the Micronesians are healthier than those
born in the United States (Wickramage et al., 2018). However, immigrants are subject to
systematic marginalization and discrimination due to the policies and legal procedures,
contributing to various health disparities.
Being a native community, the Micronesians have always been considered minorities.
They are highly discriminated against based on their culture, stereotypes about their lower
economic status, and heavier reliance on other countries. This has made it difficult for most
Micronesians to get access to health-related services because of the perception that they are poor
and cannot afford to cater for their medication. Immigration presented Micronesians with
structural barriers and discrimination before their migration, during, and even after, which
increased inequalities that complicated their access to healthcare. Additionally, immigration was
associated with population health that appeared to contradict expectations based on the
documented health gradient, thus creating an ambiguity in health delivery. For instance, in the
recent Covid-19 pandemic, Micronesians have been forced to adopt strategies that help them
overcome racism and discrimination to access healthcare (Shek et al., 2021). Immigration is a
social determinant of health in the aspect that most frameworks focus on the culture of the
immigrants, neglecting the larger forces that affect immigrants and contribute to their inability to
access healthcare. There is a need to decolonize global healthcare and immediate action taken to
address the inequities experienced among immigrants. International health practitioners should
evaluate their actions and appreciate various communities (Daffé et al., 2021). Discrimination
does not contribute to any societal benefits in this current era but instead pulls economic and
social activities backward. Global healthcare should adopt anti-racism and anti-colonialism as
the foundational principles that promote inclusivity and recognition for everybody.
Conclusion
As the search conducted in this assignment has illustrated, colonialization and
immigration are great contributors to social determinants of health. Colonialism framed
indigenous communities as uncivilized, a racialized plan to prove who were the superiors and the
subjects. Immigration, on the other hand, resulted in discrimination among the minority groups,
with laws and policies being established that do not favor them in matters regarding access to
social amenities such as healthcare. However, despite the challenges experienced, there is a need
for the global community to adopt new policies and programs that do not discriminate against
any community to increase access to health for everybody. Additionally, everyone at a given
point finds themselves in a new environment or cultural assimilations that requires them to adapt.
Thus access to healthcare outcomes should not be made a burden among a particular group of
individuals in the society.
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References
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