Health Status of North African Adolescent and Young Adult Migrants in Europe: a Scoping Review

More than five million people from North Africa (NA) lived in Europe in 2019, including youth characterized by intense trans-border mobility, precarious living conditions and high-risk behaviours such as substance use, prostitution and illegal activities. This young population challenges health professionals and health service's ability to deliver medical care. The health literature about them remains scarce. This scoping review aims to map the existing knowledge regarding the health status of adolescent and young adult migrants from NA in Europe, the health services available to address their needs, and their access and use of these services. This scoping review followed the Arksey and O´Malley process and was based on the Population-Concept-Context framework. Six databases (CINAHL, Cochrane, Embase, PubMed, PsycINFO and Web of Science) were consulted for peer-reviewed articles and non-indexed reports. References of selected articles were systematically tracked. Initial search returned 5540 articles, 13 of which met the criteria for final inclusion. They originated from Spain, France and Germany. All records included were observational. Nine included only males and ten focused on unaccompanied minors. All studies explored aspects related to the health status of participants. Five explored aspects related to general health, seven to infectious diseases, six to mental health including substance use, four to oral health, and three to nutritional status. Two studies explored aspects related to the provision of care and related cultural elements. Evidence about the health status, access to services and health service provision of North African adolescent and young adult migrants in Europe is very limited, including important gaps about females and young adults, as well as about healthcare programs and use of services. Further research is needed to enhance a comprehensive, complex and reflective understanding of this population. Research design should emphasize gender perspective, include methodologies adapted to hard-to-reach populations and grounded into international collaboration.