Abstract
ObjectivesIn the present study, we examine whether the relationships between country of origin or reason for migration and mortality differ between men and women.MethodsWe apply hazard regression models on high-quality Swedish register data with nationwide coverage.ResultsRelative to their Swedish counterparts, migrants from Nordic and East European (EU) countries and former Yugoslavia have higher mortality. This excess mortality among migrants relative to Swedes is more pronounced in men than in women. Migrants from Western and Southern European countries; Iran, Iraq, and Turkey; Central and South America; and Asia, have lower mortality than Swedes, and the size of the mortality reduction is similar in both sexes. The predictive effects of the reason for migration for mortality are also similar in migrant men and women.ConclusionsThis study provides little support for the hypothesis of a double survival advantage among immigrant women in Sweden. However, it does show that the excess mortality in migrants from Nordic and EU countries and former Yugoslavia relative to the Swedish-born population is more pronounced in men than in women.
Highlights
Migrant health continues to attract substantial research interest, as understanding who decides to migrate and how these individuals integrate into the countries of destination is important
Objectives In the present study, we examine whether the relationships between country of origin or reason for migration and mortality differ between men and women
We apply hazard regression models on high-quality Swedish register data with nationwide coverage. Relative to their Swedish counterparts, migrants from Nordic and East European (EU) countries and former Yugoslavia have higher mortality. This excess mortality among migrants relative to Swedes is more pronounced in men than in women
Summary
Migrant health continues to attract substantial research interest, as understanding who decides to migrate and how these individuals integrate into the countries of destination is important. A substantial body of research has indicated that migrants enjoy better health and lower mortality than people born in the destination countries; this is called the healthy migrant effect (Fox and Collier 1976; Riosmena et al 2013; Wallace and Kulu 2014). The most commonly cited explanation for the migrant mortality advantage is that healthy people are more likely than unhealthy people to migrate (Razum 2006) and that migrants tend to have healthier lifestyles than non-migrants, including lower levels of smoking (Lariscy et al 2015) and alcohol use (Jayaweera and Quigley 2010) and healthier diets (Dixon et al 2000). Inaccuracies in the registration of out-migration may lead to an underestimation of mortality among immigrants, especially at older ages (Weitoft et al 1999)
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