Letter - Enhancing Internet literacy as a health promotion strategy for refugees and migrants

Abstract

Australia has a large intake of migrants and refugees each year and the relocation process can be distressing. Training in internet literacy can improve employment opportunities and communication but its use as a health promotion strategy for this group is unexplored. We report a pilot program exploring teaching Internet literacy as a strategy for enhancing the health and well-being of newly arrived refugees and migrants. The target population was refugees or migrants who had arrived in Australia in the past five years. The course, based at the Migrant and Refugee Settlement Services of the ACT (MARSS), was a competency-based program taught in one-to-one mode, with each student being assigned a volunteer medical student teacher for 12 weekly one-hour classes. Coursework covered basic computer navigation, Internet browsing, using USB memory sticks and using email and Facebook applications. Health and well-being changes were assessed using a modification of validated tools used in the Good Starts Study for Refugee Youth, addressing well-being, health and use of internet at baseline, immediately after the program and at three months after program completion.