Abstract
BackgroundFew data exist on the health status of the immigrant population in French Guiana. The main objective of this article was to identify differences in its health status in relation to that of the native-born population.MethodsA representative, population-based, cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2009 among 1027 adults living in Cayenne and St-Laurent du Maroni. Health status was assessed in terms of self-perceived health, chronic diseases and functional limitations. The migration variables were immigration status, the duration of residence in French Guiana and the country of birth. Logistic regression models were conducted.ResultsImmigrants account for 40.5% and 57.8% of the adult population of Cayenne and St-Laurent du Maroni, respectively. Most of them (60.7% and 77.5%, respectively) had been living in French Guiana for more than 10 years. A large proportion were still undocumented or had a precarious legal status. The undocumented immigrants reported the worst health status (OR = 3.18 [1.21-7.84] for self-perceived health, OR = 2.79 [1.22-6.34] for a chronic disease, and OR = 2.17 [1.00-4.70] for a functional limitation). These differences are partially explained by socioeconomic status and psychosocial factors. The country of birth and the duration of residence also had an impact on health indicators.ConclusionData on immigrant health are scarce in France, and more generally, immigrant health problems have been largely ignored in public health policies. Immigrant health status is of crucial interest to health policy planners, and it is especially relevant in French Guiana, considering the size of the foreign-born population in that region.
Highlights
Few data exist on the health status of the immigrant population in French Guiana
52.9% were women, and the median age was 36 years (Table 1). The distribution of this population by migration status was as follows: 37.8% were born in French Guiana and were of French nationality; 16.1% were born French outside French Guiana (70.9% of them were born in mainland France); 6.9% were naturalized immigrants; 14.2% were long-term documented immigrants and 11.0% were temporary documented immigrants
These two subgroups consisted mostly of people from Haiti, Surinam and Brazil); and lastly, 14.0% were undocumented immigrants
Summary
Few data exist on the health status of the immigrant population in French Guiana. The main objective of this article was to identify differences in its health status in relation to that of the native-born population. Up until the early 1960s, the history of French Guiana was characterized by problematic and insufficient human settlement (in 1954, the population was still only 27,000, over an area of 83,350 km, essentially Creoles, Amerindians and Bushinenge) It subsequently attracted a great deal of foreign labour enticed by a job market that had become attractive with the creation of the Guiana Space Centre and the launch of large infrastructure projects. French Guiana has been going through a major economic crisis since the 1990s, with a high unemployment rate (20.6% of the active population in 2006), a huge trade deficit and heavy economic dependence on public transfers [9]. Despite this economic crisis and increasingly restrictive immigration policies, there is still significant migratory pressure. There are few data on the health of this immigrant population
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