“We are all Human Beings That Deserve the Same Opportunities as Everyone Else”: Immigrant Perspectives on Health in Southeast Minnesota: A Photovoice Study

Abstract

Due to systemic barriers, policymakers in the United States may be unaware of immigrants’ health-related priorities. In response, Rochester Healthy Community Partnership, a 22-year community-engaged partnership, collaborated with 14 Hispanic/Latino and Somali immigrant health promoters in fall 2023 using Photovoice to document their health-related assets and needs. After taking photos, the health promoters reflected, discussed the issues revealed in their images, and developed policy recommendations. Guided by Public Health Critical Race Praxis, we used thematic analysis to analyze health promoters’ reflections. Three themes emerged: healthy choices, inclusion of people and cultural celebrations, and access to opportunity. Health promoters want to expand healthy choices in Southeast Minnesota by growing community garden programming, protecting the environment, making healthy options accessible, and opening an affordable gym. They highlighted the importance of integrating culture and community into youth education, access to culturally appropriate foods, and the need to address Islamophobia. Health promoters wanted increased access to job opportunities, affordable housing, and health care. They saw these opportunities as vehicles for self-improvement but emphasized time management as essential in the United States. Ensuring that immigrants have a meaningful voice in shaping policies that affect health is critical. Policymakers can leverage these findings by demonstrating responsiveness to community-identified priorities and acting on health promoters’ policy recommendations. We encourage future Photovoice researchers to apply explicitly anti-racist frameworks, such as Public Health Critical Race Praxis, to document and challenge systemic oppression.