Diabetes and Foot Health Among South Asian People Seeking Asylum in the United Kingdom: A Theory‐Informed Scoping Review
Nadera Assim, Catherine Bowen, Michelle MyallABSTRACT
Background
Globally, it is estimated that, as of June 2025, 8.42 million people were seeking asylum due to persecution and political instability. Those seeking protection in other countries can present with undiagnosed complex health needs, including type 2 diabetes mellitus. Yet diabetes related foot health and footwear remain poorly understood in this population. This scoping review mapped evidence on diabetes, foot health and footwear among adults seeking asylum in high‐income countries, with attention to postmigration factors and diabetes‐related stigma.
Methods
Arksey and O'Malley's scoping review framework guided the review. Levac et al. informed refinements. Reporting followed PRISMA Scoping Review standards. Searches of CINAHL, MEDLINE, PubMed and Web of Science covered January 2005 to November 2025, supplemented by grey literature. Records were screened to predefined criteria, data were charted using a structured extraction form and findings were synthesised thematically using the socioecological model and intersectionality.
Findings
Eight papers were included from the United Kingdom, Australia, France and Belgium. Diabetes was noted, but asylum conditions were seldom linked to diabetes management, and stigma was rarely discussed. Foot health and footwear were largely absent. No study applied an explicit intersectional framework, despite overlapping influences of immigration status, poverty, gender and housing.
Conclusions
Existing evidence remains limited, offering little insight into how postmigration conditions shape diabetes‐related foot health among people seeking asylum. Further research is needed that is structurally informed and community‐engaged. It should centre lived experience and treat stigma as relevant to diabetes care, while bringing foot health into view.
Patient or Public Contribution
People with lived experience of seeking asylum contributed to this scoping review through a Community Advisory Group established as part of the wider study. Some members also had experience of living.