Evolving of Low-wage Migrant Workers’ Health Information Seeking Roles Pre and Post Covid-19
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Abstract
An estimated 164 million people work as migrant workers, and many of them are low-income individuals who face a significant risk of virus transmission as a result of contact to the environment and during work. This study intends to provide light on how the behavior and roles of migrant low-income workers in seeking out health information have evolved over time, both before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. We used semi-structured interviews as part of an exploratory qualitative study to learn more about the low-wage migrant Thai workers’ experiences in Taiwan. Thematic analysis was used to examine the interview data. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, migrant Thai workers evolved unique health information habits and roles. Due to their perceived dangers, they also expanded their care to include those in their immediate social circle and switched from seeking health information as sufferers to doing so as caregivers. This study recognizes and responds to the needs of the society’s most vulnerable migrant workers. The results of this study would direct the government and technological solutions to meet their requirements for health information in the right ways.
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