Objective
The objectives of this research project were to explore the lived experiences of Vietnamese residents in the Peel Region in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically examining access to healthcare, vaccines, sources of COVID-19 and vaccine information, social impacts and COVID-19 related discrimination.
Methods
Recruitment was done using a multi-method approach (advertising in local/semi-local Vietnamese community spaces, a Vietnamese newspaper, snowball sampling, and on social media). Collaboration was also done with community gatekeepers to help build trust within the Vietnamese community and get feedback about the presentation of the recruitment posters, interview questions, and the information and consent forms.
14 Zoom/phone interviews were conducted with Vietnamese residents over the age of 18 and living in the Region of Peel. An online survey for participant characteristics was also conducted verbally at the end of each interview.
Results
The findings of the research reveal the need to consider immigrant and refugee experiences and how they can impact or shape opinions about government messaging and COVID-19 mandates.
- Anti-communist sentiments influenced both trust and distrust of government responses to the COVID-19 pandemic with older participants generally trusting the government and younger participants perceiving their parents to have distrust of the government due to anti-communist sentiments.
- There were generational differences that shaped experiences of the pandemic:
- Younger participants experienced positive social outcomes during the pandemic but more concerned about COVID-19-related discrimination compared to the older participants.
- More older participants expressed the need to stay connected to friends and family during the pandemic and a greater unawareness of COVID-19-related discrimination.
- Many participants shared similar barriers when accessing healthcare including challenges communicating through phone and virtual appointments, shorter appointments, and long wait times.
Next Steps
Project results are being mobilized through publications and conference presentations.