Luis Andrés Gimeno-Feliu1,2,3,4, Amaia Calderón-Larrañaga2,3,5, Esperanza Díaz6,7, Clara Laguna-Berna2,3, Beatriz Poblador-Plou2,3, Carlos Coscollar1,2,3,4, Alexandra Prados-Torres2,3,8. 1. San Pablo Health Centre, Aragón Health Service, Zaragoza, Spain. 2. EpiChron Research Group on Chronic Diseases, Aragón Health Sciences Institute (IACS), IIS Aragón, Miguel Servet University Hospital, Zaragoza, Spain. 3. Health Services Research on Chronic Patients Network (REDISSEC), Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain. 4. Department of Medicine, Psychiatry and Dermatology, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain. 5. Aging Research Center, NVS Department Karolinska, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. 6. Research Group for General Practice, Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, Universitetet i Bergen Det medisinsk-odontologiske fakultet, Bergen, Norway. 7. Norwegian Centre for Minority Health Research, Oslo, Norway. 8. Department of Microbiology, Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.
Abstract
Aim: Multimorbidity is a growing phenomenon in primary care, and knowledge of the influence of social determinants on its evolution is vital. The aim of this study was to understand the relationship between multimorbidity and immigration, taking into account length of residence in the host country and area of origin of the immigrant population. Methods: Cross-sectional retrospective study of all adult patients registered within the public health service of Aragon, Spain (N = 1092279; 144238 were foreign-born), based on data from the EpiChron Cohort. Age-standardized prevalence rates of multimorbidity were calculated. Different models of binary logistic regressions were conducted to study the association between multimorbidity, immigrant status and length of residence in the host country. Results: The risk of multimorbidity in foreign-borns was lower than that of native-borns [odds ratio (OR): 0.54, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.53-0.55]. The probability of experiencing multimorbidity was lowest for Asians (OR: 0.34, 95% CI: 0.31-0.37) and Eastern Europeans (OR: 0.42, 95% CI: 0.40-0.43), and highest for Latin Americans (OR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.68-0.72). Foreign-born immigrants residing in Aragon for ≥5 years had a higher multimorbidity risk than those residing for <5 years (OR: 2.3, 95% CI: 2.2-2.4). Conclusion: Prevalence of multimorbidity is lower among foreign-borns as compared with native-borns, but increases rapidly with length of residence in the host country. However, the progressive development of multimorbidity among immigrants varies widely depending on area of origin. These findings provide important insight into the health care needs of specific population groups and may help minimize the negative impact of multimorbidity among the most vulnerable groups.
Aim: Multimorbidity is a growing phenomenon in primary care, and knowledge of the influence of social determinants on its evolution is vital. The aim of this study was to understand the relationship between multimorbidity and immigration, taking into account length of residence in the host country and area of origin of the immigrant population. Methods: Cross-sectional retrospective study of all adult patients registered within the public health service of Aragon, Spain (N = 1092279; 144238 were foreign-born), based on data from the EpiChron Cohort. Age-standardized prevalence rates of multimorbidity were calculated. Different models of binary logistic regressions were conducted to study the association between multimorbidity, immigrant status and length of residence in the host country. Results: The risk of multimorbidity in foreign-borns was lower than that of native-borns [odds ratio (OR): 0.54, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.53-0.55]. The probability of experiencing multimorbidity was lowest for Asians (OR: 0.34, 95% CI: 0.31-0.37) and Eastern Europeans (OR: 0.42, 95% CI: 0.40-0.43), and highest for Latin Americans (OR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.68-0.72). Foreign-born immigrants residing in Aragon for ≥5 years had a higher multimorbidity risk than those residing for <5 years (OR: 2.3, 95% CI: 2.2-2.4). Conclusion: Prevalence of multimorbidity is lower among foreign-borns as compared with native-borns, but increases rapidly with length of residence in the host country. However, the progressive development of multimorbidity among immigrants varies widely depending on area of origin. These findings provide important insight into the health care needs of specific population groups and may help minimize the negative impact of multimorbidity among the most vulnerable groups.
Authors: Luis Andrés Gimeno-Feliu; Marta Pastor-Sanz; Beatriz Poblador-Plou; Amaia Calderón-Larrañaga; Esperanza Díaz; Alexandra Prados-Torres Journal: Int J Equity Health Date: 2020-07-06
Authors: Anna Marzà-Florensa; Daniel Boateng; Charles Agyemang; Erik Beune; Karlijn A C Meeks; Silver Bahendeka; Naomi Levitt; Kerstin Klipstein-Grobusch Journal: Int J Public Health Date: 2021-12-31 Impact factor: 3.380