In Search of the Healthy Immigrant Effect in Four West European Countries

Dina Maskileyson,Moshe Semyonov,Eldad Davidov

doi:10.17645/si.v7i4.2330

Dina Maskileyson, Moshe Semyonov + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.17645/si.v7i4.2330

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Abstract

The present research examines whether the ‘healthy immigrant effect’ thesis observed in the American context prevails also in the West European context. According to this thesis, immigrants are likely to be healthier than comparable nativeborn. Data for the analysis are obtained from the Generations and Gender Survey for the following countries: Austria, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Ordered logit regression models are estimated to compare the health of immigrants with the native-born population. The findings reveal that in all countries, immigrants tend to report poorer health than comparable third generation native-born Europeans, and that health disparities between second and third generation are smaller than health disparities between first-generation members and native-born regardless of second- or thirdgeneration membership. The findings in the West-European countries do not lend support to the healthy immigrant effect. We attribute the differences between the United States and the West European countries to differential selection processes and differences in healthcare policies.

Highlights

Scholars have long observed that immigrants in the United States and in other traditional immigrant societies (i.e., Canada and Australia) tend to be healthier than comparable native-born populations (Cunningham, Ruben, & Narayan, 2008; Goldman et al, 2014; McDonald & Kennedy, 2004)
Using data from four national samples, we aim to evaluate whether the healthy immigrant effect that has been observed in the United States prevails in four Western European countries, Austria, France, Germany, and the Netherlands, or whether it is dependent on the unique conditions associated with differences between country of origin and country of destination
The findings reveal that patterns of health disparities between FG and TG in France, Austria, and the Netherlands are not in line with expectations derived from the healthy immigrant effect thesis and are drastically different from the pattern observed in the United States: In the three countries, health of FG immigrants is poorer than that of TG

Summary

Introduction

Scholars have long observed that immigrants in the United States and in other traditional immigrant societies (i.e., Canada and Australia) tend to be healthier than comparable native-born populations (Cunningham, Ruben, & Narayan, 2008; Goldman et al, 2014; McDonald & Kennedy, 2004). Whereas the literature on the healthy immigrant effect in the United States has become substantial, relatively little is known on health disparities between immigrants and natives in Europe (for notable exceptions see Darmon & Khlat, 2001; Razum, Zeeb, Akgün, & Yilmaz, 1998). It is not clear from previous studies whether the differences across nations are a result of nation-specific characteristics (of the host country or the country of origin). Using data from four national samples, we aim to evaluate whether the healthy immigrant effect that has been observed in the United States prevails in four Western European countries, Austria, France, Germany, and the Netherlands, or whether it is dependent on the unique conditions associated with differences between country of origin and country of destination

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