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Category: Project

Description: Abstract: Foreign-born populations often face structural barriers to accessing timely healthcare; multilingual information about health care, especially online, is a crucial part of equitable access. However, the geographic variability of multilingual health information at the subnational level has received little attention. To address this research gap, we piloted a framework for assessing the strength of localized multilingual health information networks. The framework was based on a systematic search of English health information in each of prefecture of Japan, which has recently hosted record numbers of foreign residents and tourists. The search included resources from five health care domains (medical system, hospitals, emergency services, medical interpreters, and national health insurance). Prefectural scores varied considerably among geographies and many resources were machine-translated. After information scores were adjusted for prefectural demographics and health facilities, scores were significantly associated with foreign population proportion and the number of hospitals in each prefecture. This assessment frame-work may be useful for gap-analysis of multilingual health information in other international settings, but further validation is required. Strengthening networks of translated health information remain keys to inclusive health policy for minority populations.