307 Harnessing community assets to tackle health inequalities for refugees, asylum seekers and migrant populations

Abstract EP3.4, e-Poster Terminal 3, September 4, 2025, 11:35 - 13:00 This paper discusses emerging findings from a large-scale collaborative study undertaken in twelve diverse areas of England focused on reducing health inequalities for refugees, asylum seekers and migrant populations. The project aims to understand how core social determinants of health, namely accommodation, food and nutrition and access to services, affect health and well-being. This project has three academic institutions and seven civil society/community organisations as partners. The approach is collaborative throughout and has a co-created ethos, working with refugees, asylum seekers and migrants as part of the project team to co-design the project. Community co-researchers have been recruited and trained in each location. Data collection involves community discussion forums, walking interviews and a range of creative methodologies including storytelling, photovoice and cooking amongst others. The paper will show how these groups navigate their daily lives through the use of community assets that support these determinants of health. Community assets include buildings, facilities, organisations, open spaces, and also people, with their skills, knowledge, social networks and relationships. Differences in legal status, routes of entry, nationality and changing government policy confer varying levels of access to support and provision, which has significant impact on people’s ability to discover, explore and engage with community assets in their localities. Drawing upon the extensive data gathered in urban, rural and coastal locations, all with differing systems in terms of health and service provision and funding models, the paper will discuss the impacts of these wider issues in exacerbating health inequalities for these populations.