OBJECTIVES: The finding that migrants to high-income countries have lower rates of morbidity and mortality than non-migrants, controlling for socioeconomic position, is often attributed to the "healthy migrant" hypothesis, which suggests that only the healthiest individuals choose to migrate. This prospective study investigates the healthy migrant hypothesis in a cohort of British emigrants using pre-migration health indicators. We also investigate how early-life health characteristics relate to age at emigration and whether or not the emigrant returned home. METHODS: Data are from the Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development, a nationally representative cohort study of people born in England, Scotland or Wales in March 1946. Childhood socio-economic position, health and cognitive ability were compared between 4,378 non-emigrants and 984 emigrants. Of the emigrants, 427 emigrated before age 20 and 557 after that age; 602 emigrants remained abroad and 382 returned home. RESULTS: Emigrants had better childhood health (especially greater height), higher childhood socio-economic position and better childhood cognitive ability at age 8 than non-emigrants. Return emigrants were very similar to emigrants who remained abroad. CONCLUSIONS: We found support for the healthy migrant hypothesis in a cohort of British emigrants. Our findings improve an understanding of how health is distributed within and across nations.
OBJECTIVES: The finding that migrants to high-income countries have lower rates of morbidity and mortality than non-migrants, controlling for socioeconomic position, is often attributed to the "healthy migrant" hypothesis, which suggests that only the healthiest individuals choose to migrate. This prospective study investigates the healthy migrant hypothesis in a cohort of British emigrants using pre-migration health indicators. We also investigate how early-life health characteristics relate to age at emigration and whether or not the emigrant returned home. METHODS: Data are from the Medical Research Council National Survey of Health and Development, a nationally representative cohort study of people born in England, Scotland or Wales in March 1946. Childhood socio-economic position, health and cognitive ability were compared between 4,378 non-emigrants and 984 emigrants. Of the emigrants, 427 emigrated before age 20 and 557 after that age; 602 emigrants remained abroad and 382 returned home. RESULTS: Emigrants had better childhood health (especially greater height), higher childhood socio-economic position and better childhood cognitive ability at age 8 than non-emigrants. Return emigrants were very similar to emigrants who remained abroad. CONCLUSIONS: We found support for the healthy migrant hypothesis in a cohort of British emigrants. Our findings improve an understanding of how health is distributed within and across nations.
Authors: Cheng Huang; Neil K Mehta; Irma T Elo; Solveig A Cunningham; Rob Stephenson; David F Williamson; K M Narayan Journal: Popul Res Policy Rev Date: 2011-06-01
Authors: G David Batty; Martin J Shipley; David Gunnell; Rachel Huxley; Mika Kivimaki; Mark Woodward; Crystal Man Ying Lee; George Davey Smith Journal: Econ Hum Biol Date: 2009-06-28 Impact factor: 2.184
Authors: Andreas Halgreen Eiset; Michaelangelo P Aoun; Ramzi S Haddad; Wadih J Naja; Kurt Fuursted; Henrik Vedel Nielsen; Christen Rune Stensvold; Monica Stougaard Nielsen; Annemarie Gottlieb; Morten Frydenberg; Christian Wejse Journal: BMJ Open Date: 2020-05-26 Impact factor: 2.692