Human Mobility and Population Health: New Approaches in a Globalizing World

Abstract

The globalization of economies in the last 25 years has greatly increased both the number of people on the move and the rapidity of their movement, and has brought attention to global disparities in health determinants and to the health of migrant populations themselves. Differences in epidemiological disease risk (prevalence gaps) may have negative, neutral, or positive health consequences for the migrant or receiving population. Population mobility represents a growing challenge to the development of public health programs and legislative policies to prevent the importation of disease, and to promote and protect the health of migrants and the local, receiving population. The inability to detect and contain imported disease threats at national borders requires a shift in immigration, quarantine, and public health approaches to health and mobile populations. A new paradigm is needed to facilitate the development of policies and programs to address the health consequences of population mobility.

Providing Social Support for Immigrants and Refugees in Canada: Challenges and Directions

“…In Canada, detrimental changes attributable to recent policies have included restructuring of labor markets that marginalize newcomers (36); reductions in health and welfare programs that have been deleterious to immigrant wellbeing (37); restrictive immigration and settlement service mandates (38); health research and policy agendas that treat immigrant and refugee populations as homogeneous (39) and outdated public health approaches to migrant population health, which focus on control and containment rather than health promotion (40,41). Moreover, the scope of services has been restricted over the years, which means that Canadian government programs are "weakest in dealing with the area of greatest need-the second stage of settlement-involving labour market integration and equitable access to general health, housing and social services."…”

Estimation of the real population and its impact on the utilisation of healthcare services in Mediterranean resort regions: an ecological study

“…In 1994, it was estimated that two thirds of the world's population lived within 150 km of the coast, and this value was expected to increase to three quarters by the year 2025 [2]. Beyond all doubt, current levels of economic globalisation have favoured the increased mobility of populations [3]. …”

Migrations internes et santé à Dakar (Sénégal). Comparaison de l’autoévaluation de la santé, de l’hypertension artérielle et de l’obésité des migrants internes et des personnes originaires de Dakar

“…De plus, l'activité physique, facteur protecteur de l'apparition de maladies chroniques [28], diminue en ville, au fur et à mesure qu'augmentent la proportion de travaux automatisés et les possibilités de transport public [29]. Ces changements de mode de vie ont un impact négatif sur la santé, notamment en termes de prévalence d'HTA, d'obésité, de diabète et de certains cancers [30][31][32][33]. Ainsi, au Cameroun par exemple, il a été démontré que la durée de résidence en milieu urbain était liée à la prévalence de l'obésité [20,34].…”