Abstract
BackgroundUndocumented migrants are one of the most vulnerable groups in Swedish society, where they generally suffer from poor health and limited health care access. Due to their irregular status, such migrants are an under-researched group and are not included in the country's Cause of Death Register (CDR).ObjectiveTo determine the causes of death among undocumented migrants in Sweden and to ascertain whether there are patterns in causes of death that differ between residents and undocumented migrants.DesignThis is a cross-sectional study of death certificates issued from 1997 to 2010 but never included in the CDR from which we established our study sample of undocumented migrants. As age adjustments could not be performed due to lack of data, comparisons between residents and undocumented migrants were made at specific age intervals, based on the study sample's mean age at death±a half standard deviation.ResultsOut of 7,925 individuals surveyed, 860 were classified as likely to have been undocumented migrants. External causes (49.8%) were the most frequent cause of death, followed by circulatory system diseases, and then neoplasms. Undocumented migrants had a statistically significant increased risk of dying from external causes (odds ratio [OR] 3.57, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.83–4.52) and circulatory system diseases (OR 2.20, 95% CI: 1.73–2.82) compared to residents, and a lower risk of dying from neoplasms (OR 0.07, 95% CI: 0.04–0.14).ConclusionsWe believe our study is the first to determine national figures on causes of death of undocumented migrants. We found inequity in health as substantial differences in causes of death between undocumented migrants and residents were seen. Legal ambiguities regarding health care provision must be addressed if equity in health is to be achieved in a country otherwise known for its universal health coverage.
Highlights
Undocumented migrants are one of the most vulnerable groups in Swedish society, where they generally suffer from poor health and limited health care access
A second objective was to establish whether there may be patterns in causes of death that differ between Swedish residents and undocumented migrants. Study sample This is a cross-sectional study of death certificates issued from 1997 to 2010 that were not included in the Swedish Cause of Death Register (CDR)
Characteristics of the study sample In total, 860 deaths were classified as likely to have been those of undocumented migrants; the majority were males
Summary
Undocumented migrants are one of the most vulnerable groups in Swedish society, where they generally suffer from poor health and limited health care access. Due to their irregular status, such migrants are an under-researched group and are not included in the country’s Cause of Death Register (CDR). Undocumented migrants had a statistically significant increased risk of dying from external causes (odds ratio [OR] 3.57, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.83Á4.52) and circulatory system diseases (OR 2.20, 95% CI: 1.73Á2.82) compared to residents, and a lower risk of dying from neoplasms (OR 0.07, 95% CI: 0.04Á0.14). We found inequity in health as substantial differences in causes of death between undocumented migrants and residents were seen. Legal ambiguities regarding health care provision must be addressed if equity in health is to be achieved in a country otherwise known for its universal health coverage
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