425 Social prescribing among migrants in Portugal: exploring factors that influence uptake

Abstract OP 1: Determinants of Health Disease and Interventions 1, B207 (FCSH), September 3, 2025, 14:30 - 15:30 Addressing migrants’ health and wellbeing needs goes beyond mainstream healthcare to comprehensive community-driven services that tackle social determinants of health. Social prescribing (SP) is an innovative approach that connects individuals to these services fostering integrated care, yet little is known about SP approaches with migrants. Drawing from a SP pilot-project conducted in primary healthcare units in Portugal, we examined migrants’ uptake of SP and associated factors. This evaluation study examined registries data of migrant patients regarding their sociodemographic characteristics, referral details, SP uptake and trajectory. A logistic regression was used to analyse factors associated with SP uptake. Overall, 1298 patients were referred to SP during 2018-2023; of these, 35.1% (n = 456) were migrants: most female (61.2%), 26-50 years old (53.5%), and originated from Asian countries (54.2%) and Portuguese-speaking African countries (27.2%). Around 53% had a chronic condition (like cardiovascular disease, depression, obesity). The majority were referred to SP due to ≥ 2 non-clinical needs mostly related to social/financial support (74,3%), social integration (41,7%), unemployment (33,8%) and mental health (16.9%). Overall, 55,0% of migrants referred to SP attended a SP appointment. SP uptake was more likely among migrants aged ≥75 years compared with those ≤25 years old (OR:4,278; 95%CI:1,064-17,204; p = 0,041), those with chronic conditions (one chronic condition - OR:2,256; 95%CI:1,358-3,747; p = 0,002; ≥2 chronic conditions - OR:2,659; 95%CI:1,532-4,614; p < 0,001) compared with those without chronic conditions, and those referred for social and financial support compared to those referred for any other reason (OR:1,645; 95%CI:1,044-2,592; p = 0,032). SP users integrated social inclusion activities (e.g. Portuguese language classes) and services for financial and employment support. Factors influencing migrants’ uptake of SP involved older age and need of social and financial support. Future research is needed to explore complexity of migrants’ needs, awareness gaps and acceptability to SP, to maximize adherence and positive effects in migrants’ health and wellbeing.