Rafi Tasnia, Rahman Mohammad A
Public Health, Oceania University of Medicine, Melbourne, AUS.
General Practice, RediCare Medical Centre, Melbourne, AUS.
Cureus. 2024 Nov 25;16(11):e74463. doi: 10.7759/cureus.74463. eCollection 2024 Nov.
Qualitative research surrounding the impacts of COVID-19 and vaccine hesitancy has been extensively studied in the European context; however, limited research has been conducted within communities in the Australian context. This research paper highlights the issues experienced by culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) members during the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination rollout. The purpose of this study is to strengthen our understanding of the challenges experienced by CALD communities and enable healthcare policies to be developed and implemented to prevent these communities from being disadvantaged in a healthcare crisis. The methods of this study include focus group sessions with 12 participants from CALD backgrounds across different states including Victoria, Northern Territory, and Queensland. They were divided into two separate Zoom sessions and aimed to amplify the voices in Victoria, as the state had the nation's longest and most challenging COVID-19 lockdown laws. Key findings of the study highlighted the language barriers, racism, and lack of cultural awareness experienced among CALD communities during the pandemic. Additionally, there was a significant division in views and experiences within CALD communities and families. Social media played a prominent role in dividing the perceptions and understanding of health information during the pandemic. Participants were motivated to be vaccinated due to workplace protocols or to protect their family members and move toward normality. Lastly, the government's mandatory vaccination policies limited personal choice, resulting in a loss of skilled workers and pressured some participants into making healthcare decisions within a limited period of time. The study's findings reflect that the CALD communities and families were disproportionately impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination rollout, further highlighting and adding to the health inequities among CALD communities in Australia.
围绕新冠疫情影响和疫苗犹豫情况的定性研究在欧洲背景下已得到广泛开展；然而，在澳大利亚背景下的社区内开展的研究却很有限。本研究论文突出了文化和语言多元（CALD）群体在新冠疫情期间及疫苗接种推广过程中所经历的问题。本研究的目的是强化我们对CALD群体所面临挑战的理解，并促使制定和实施医疗政策，以防止这些群体在医疗危机中处于不利地位。本研究方法包括与来自不同州（包括维多利亚州、北领地和昆士兰州）的12名CALD背景参与者进行焦点小组讨论。他们被分成两个单独的Zoom会议，旨在放大维多利亚州的声音，因为该州实施了全国最长且最具挑战性的新冠疫情封锁法律。该研究的主要发现突出了疫情期间CALD群体所经历的语言障碍、种族主义和文化意识缺失。此外，CALD群体和家庭内部在观点和经历方面存在显著分歧。社交媒体在疫情期间对健康信息的认知和理解分化方面起到了显著作用。由于工作场所规定或为了保护家人并回归正常生活，参与者有接种疫苗的积极性。最后，政府的强制疫苗接种政策限制了个人选择，导致技术工人流失，并迫使一些参与者在有限时间内做出医疗决策。该研究结果表明，CALD群体和家庭在新冠疫情期间及疫苗接种推广过程中受到了不成比例的影响，进一步凸显并加剧了澳大利亚CALD群体之间的健康不平等。
