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Morbidity, Self-Perceived Health and Mortality Among non-Western Immigrants and Their Descendants in Denmark in a Life Phase Perspective

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Abstract

To enable preventive policies to address health inequity across ethnic groups, this review overviews the current knowledge on morbidity, self-perceived health and mortality among non-Western immigrants and their descendants in Denmark. A systematic search in PUBMED, SCOPUS, Embase and Cochrane as well as in national databases was undertaken. The final number of publications included was 45. Adult immigrants had higher morbidity, but lower mortality compared to ethnic Danes. Immigrant children had higher mortality and morbidity compared to ethnic Danes. Immigrants’ health is critical to reach the political goals of integration. Despite non-Western immigrants’ higher morbidity than ethnic Danes, no national strategy targeting immigrants’ health has been implemented. Future research should include elderly immigrants and children, preferably employing a life-course perspective to enhance understanding of parallel processes of societal adaptation and health.

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Author Contributions

Signe Smith Jervelund: Development and implementation of methods, analysis, preparation of manuscript. Sanam Malik: preparation of manuscript, literature search, Nanna Ahlmark: preparation of manuscript, Sarah Fredsted Villadsen: preparation of manuscript. Annemette Nielsen: preparation of manuscript, Kathrine Vitus: analysis, preparation and finalization of manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Public Health, Section for Health Services Research, Danish Research Centre for Migration, Ethnicity, and Health (MESU), University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5A, 1014, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Signe Smith Jervelund, Sanam Malik, Sarah Fredsted Villadsen & Kathrine Vitus

  2. Vestegnens Sprog- og Kompetencecenter, Skolevej 6, 2600, Glostrup, Denmark

    Sanam Malik

  3. National Institute of Public Health, Research Programme On Health Promotion and Prevention, University of Southern Denmark, Øster Farimagsgade 5A, 1353, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Nanna Ahlmark

  4. Department of Public Health, Section for Social Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5A, 1014, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Sarah Fredsted Villadsen

  5. Department of Food and Resource Economics, Section for Consumption, Bioethics and Governance, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 25, 1958, Frederiksberg, Denmark

    Annemette Nielsen

  6. Department of Sociology and Social Work, Aalborg University, Frederikskaj 10B, 2450, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Kathrine Vitus

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  1. Signe Smith Jervelund
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  2. Sanam Malik
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Correspondence to Kathrine Vitus.

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Jervelund, S.S., Malik, S., Ahlmark, N. et al. Morbidity, Self-Perceived Health and Mortality Among non-Western Immigrants and Their Descendants in Denmark in a Life Phase Perspective. J Immigrant Minority Health 19, 448–476 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-016-0347-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-016-0347-9

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