Migration

Abstract

Migration is defined as the movement of people across international borders or the internal borders of a state resulting in a change of residence. At any one point, approximately 3.1 percent of the world's population is residing in a country in which they were not born. Changes and challenges posed by migration may include language and cultural barriers, changes in food, lifestyle, and health habits, social exclusion, and restricted access to employment opportunities and health services. The coping strategies adopted by migrants to adapt to their new environments, such as creating links to social networks, are also of relevance. We consider six key issues: the healthy immigrant effect; health service utilization among immigrants; gender, migration, and health; the vulnerability of temporary migrants; migration, food, and health; and diaspora and health.