Matias Reus-Pons1,2, Hadewijch Vandenheede2, Fanny Janssen3,4, Eva U B Kibele3,5. 1. Population Research Centre (PRC), Faculty of Spatial Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands m.reus.pons@rug.nl. 2. Interface Demography, Department of Sociology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium. 3. Population Research Centre (PRC), Faculty of Spatial Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands. 4. Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI), The Hague, The Netherlands. 5. Healthy Ageing Population and Society (HAPS), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: European societies are rapidly ageing and becoming multicultural. We studied differences in overall and cause-specific mortality between migrants and non-migrants in Belgium specifically focusing on the older population. METHODS: We performed a mortality follow-up until 2009 of the population aged 50 and over living in Flanders and the Brussels-Capital Region by linking the 2001 census data with the population and mortality registers. Overall mortality differences were analysed via directly age-standardized mortality rates. Cause-specific mortality differences between non-migrants and various western and non-western migrant groups were analysed using Poisson regression models, controlling for age (model 1) and additionally controlling for socio-economic status and urban typology (model 2). RESULTS: At older ages, most migrants had an overall mortality advantage relative to non-migrants, regardless of a lower socio-economic status. Specific migrant groups (e.g. Turkish migrants, French and eastern European male migrants and German female migrants) had an overall mortality disadvantage, which was, at least partially, attributable to a lower socio-economic status. Despite the general overall mortality advantage, migrants experienced higher mortality from infectious diseases, diabetes-related causes, respiratory diseases (western migrants), cardiovascular diseases (non-western female migrants) and lung cancer (western female migrants). CONCLUSION: Mortality differences between older migrants and non-migrants depend on cause of death, age, sex, migrant origin and socio-economic status. These differences can be related to lifestyle, social networks and health care use. Policies aimed at reducing mortality inequalities between older migrants and non-migrants should address the specific health needs of the various migrant groups, as well as socio-economic disparities.
BACKGROUND: European societies are rapidly ageing and becoming multicultural. We studied differences in overall and cause-specific mortality between migrants and non-migrants in Belgium specifically focusing on the older population. METHODS: We performed a mortality follow-up until 2009 of the population aged 50 and over living in Flanders and the Brussels-Capital Region by linking the 2001 census data with the population and mortality registers. Overall mortality differences were analysed via directly age-standardized mortality rates. Cause-specific mortality differences between non-migrants and various western and non-western migrant groups were analysed using Poisson regression models, controlling for age (model 1) and additionally controlling for socio-economic status and urban typology (model 2). RESULTS: At older ages, most migrants had an overall mortality advantage relative to non-migrants, regardless of a lower socio-economic status. Specific migrant groups (e.g. Turkish migrants, French and eastern European male migrants and German female migrants) had an overall mortality disadvantage, which was, at least partially, attributable to a lower socio-economic status. Despite the general overall mortality advantage, migrants experienced higher mortality from infectious diseases, diabetes-related causes, respiratory diseases (western migrants), cardiovascular diseases (non-western female migrants) and lung cancer (western female migrants). CONCLUSION: Mortality differences between older migrants and non-migrants depend on cause of death, age, sex, migrant origin and socio-economic status. These differences can be related to lifestyle, social networks and health care use. Policies aimed at reducing mortality inequalities between older migrants and non-migrants should address the specific health needs of the various migrant groups, as well as socio-economic disparities.
Authors: Tobias Schilling; Stephan Rauscher; Christian Menzel; Simon Reichenauer; Martina Müller-Schilling; Stephan Schmid; Michael Selgrad Journal: Visc Med Date: 2017-07-19
Authors: Raj S Bhopal; Laurence Gruer; Genevieve Cezard; Anne Douglas; Markus F C Steiner; Andrew Millard; Duncan Buchanan; S Vittal Katikireddi; Aziz Sheikh Journal: PLoS Med Date: 2018-03-01 Impact factor: 11.069