Systematic review: Self-rated health of Arab immigrants in the United States.

Abstract

PURPOSE\nA systematic review was conducted to understand self-rated health (SRH) of Arab immigrants in the United States (U.S.).\n\n\nBACKGROUND\nArab immigrants are one of the fastest growing populations in the United States. There is some evidence that Arab immigrants face health issues including low SRH. However, no study has been done to synthesize research on SRH of Arab immigrants.\n\n\nMETHODS\nThe Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were used to guide this review. A search was conducted on seven databases.\n\n\nRESULTS\nSix studies met the systematic review criteria. The available evidence indicated that rates of fair/poor SRH among Arab immigrants ranged between 4.66% and 41%. Arabic-speaking immigrants, women, older immigrants, and socioeconomically disadvantaged immigrants had the highest rates of fair/poor SRH.\n\n\nIMPLICATIONS\nHealth care providers need to assess patient s SRH and identify barriers to optimal health and health practices related to SRH of Arab immigrants.