COVID-19 Information in Sweden: Opinions of Immigrants with Limited Proficiency in Swedish

Abstract

COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of health information for prevention of communicable disease. Knowledge about groups that have high risk is important to prevent disease transmission. In Sweden, immigrants have been identified as one such group. Yet, little is known about where they have sourced information about COVID-19 and their opinions toward it. The aim of this study was to describe the COVID-19 information sources used by immigrants with limited proficiency in Swedish as well as their opinions on how comprehensive the information has been, the importance of the recommendations and their possibility to follow them. A cross-sectional survey was conducted via introductory Swedish language classes in Region Uppsala (n = 855). The results showed the immigrants were using different information sources, with the majority using school, media and social media. The immigrants’ opinions about COVID-19 information differed. Most reported they knew where to find information; however, over two-fifths reported the recommendations from the authorities should be more extensive. The majority reported it is important to follow the recommendations, whereas the possibility to follow the recommendations was more mixed. Age differences in opinions toward COVID-19 information were detected. Although the results were largely positive, there still appears to be a need for improvement in how immigrant groups with limited ability in the host country´s language are reached. Effective health communication that engages the whole nation is an important factor authorities should commit to as we face the current pandemic. This research suggests that an approach tailored by age could be helpful.