Ethnicity and Postmigration Health Trajectory in New Immigrants to Canada

Abstract

Objectives. In this prospective cohort study, we examined the trajectory of general health during the first 4 years after new immigrants’ arrival in Canada. We focused on the change in self-rated health trajectories and their gender and ethnic disparities. Methods. Data were derived from the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada and were collected between April 2001 and November 2005 by Statistics Canada. We used weighted samples of 3309 men and 3351 women aged between 20 and 59 years. Results. At arrival, only 3.5% of new immigrants rated their general health as poor. Significant and steady increases in poor health were revealed during the following 4 years, especially among ethnic minorities and women. Specifically, we found a higher risk of poor health among West Asian and Chinese men and among South Asian and Chinese women than among their European counterparts. Conclusions. Newly arrived immigrants are extremely healthy, but the health advantage dissipates rapidly during the initial years of settlement in Canada. Women and minority ethnic groups may be more vulnerable to social changes and postmigration settlement.

Healthy Migrant Effect on Smoking Behavior Among Asian Immigrants in the United States

“…Meanwhile, the longer an Asian immigrant stays in the United States, the more likely he/she will become a current smoker, which is an undesirable outcome of their acculturation process, this is consistent with a recent study on the healthy and unhealthy assimilation effects on immigrants' smoking rate [22]. The negative effect of length of stay on smoking status also echoes a downward health trajectory in new non-European immigrants in Canada [23]. At the same time, the association of length of stay and the increased odds of being a smoker also suggested a possible protective effect, which is consistent with the finding of a previous study on this effect of the immigrant generation on smoking [10].…”

Differences between immigrants at various durations of residence and host population in all-cause mortality, Canada 1991–2006

“…Second, sex is a major selection factor in migration, and it is also implicated in the other selection factors (Cerrutti and Massey 2001;van Dalen et al 2005;Kley 2011). Third, sex is a significant indicator of the diminishing healthy immigrant effect (Cairney and Østbye 1999;Dunn and Dyck 2000;Setia et al 2011), with research showing that Canada's female immigrants are more likely to experience declining physical, mental health, and general health status than male immigrants (Newbold and Danforth 2003;Creatore et al 2010;Kim et al 2013).…”

Health literacy in selected populations: Individuals, families, and communities from the international and cultural perspective

“…Migration, particularly migration to a country or region with different cultural beliefs and societal structures, is highly stressful, often leading to migrant health decline [24]. Generally migrants arrive in host countries in better health usually, than those from the host country.…”