Nutrition and health among migrants in the Netherlands

Abstract

Objective:this paper aims to give a broad overview of published data on nutrition and health among migrants in the Netherlands, as well as data on determinants of health.Results and conclusions:Depending on the definition, 9 to 17% of the population belongs to the group ‘migrants’ and this proportion is expected to grow in the coming years. Roughly 2/3 of migrants are of the first generation and on average, they are younger than the Dutch population. Relatively few data concerning the health status of migrants are available. The diet of migrants showed both positive (macronutrients) and negative (micronutrients) differences with the general Dutch diet. The risk of overweight was high among both children and adult women, and the data suggest a higher risk for Turkish and Moroccan groups than for Dutch groups. The importance of health determinants, such as smoking, alcohol use and physical and social environment, was different for migrants than for the Dutch population; however, there were also differences between ethnic groups. The limited data on morbidity for migrants suggest higher risks than for the indigenous population. The same holds for mortality data, especially for the younger age groups. In general, the data that are available suggest that the health status of migrants was less favourable than that of the indigenous population. However, there were also differences between the various groups of migrants. The lower socio-economic position of migrant groups partly explained the differences in health status. Nevertheless, a study among Turkish people indicated that their health status was lower than that of Dutch people of comparable socio–economic status.

The impact of migration on body weight: a review

“…Acculturative stress has been observed by other studies and can lead to a lowered mental health status (particularly depression and anxiety) that is a known risk factor for obesity. Moroccan families generally fall into lower income categories because of their level of education and professional training 54 , which is often associated with higher rates of obesity 55 . In the Netherlands, macronutrient intake among Turkish and Moroccan immigrants was satisfactory, while micronutrient intake was inadequate, leading to differences in weight and health status 54 .…”

Health Status Inequality among Immigrants in Switzerland

“…With respect to health opportunities, several studies find poor health literacy, poor access to health services or poor utilization of health services among immigrants as compared to natives [3]- [7]. Evidence of unfavourable health behaviour of immigrants, such as lack of physical activity and unhealthy dietary habits and resulting risk factors such as overweight and obesity [8]- [12], has also been documented. Furthermore, studies report poorer health status, higher morbidity and higher mortality among immigrants [13]- [18].…”

Acculturation and dietary patterns among residents of Surinamese origin in the Netherlands: the HELIUS dietary pattern study

“…This so-called Western diet has negative consequences for public health (5,6) , which is also of concern to the growing ethnic minority and migrant-origin groups in many Western countries when they adopt parts of the Western diet (5,7) . Migration can play a role in dietary patterns by bringing about cultural changes affecting attitudes, orientations or behaviours (5,(7)(8)(9) , a process that is defined as acculturation (10,11) .…”