Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Healthy and unhealthy migrant effect on the mortality of immigrants from wealthy countries residing in Spain

  • MORTALITY
  • Published:
European Journal of Epidemiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study attempts to identify the possible existence of a healthy migrant effect and an unhealthy migrant effect on the mortality of immigrants from wealthy countries who move to Spain. Immigrants aged 35–64 years from France, Germany, Great Britain and 16 other wealthy OECD countries who resided in Spain were compared with respect to: (1) mortality from cancer, cardiovascular disease, and all other diseases and (2) employment status, duration of residence, and educational level, in two geographic areas: the “preferred destination area”—the Mediterranean coast, Balearic Islands and Canary Islands—and the rest of Spain. In general, cancer mortality was lower and mortality from cardiovascular disease was higher in immigrants who resided in the preferred destination area than in their countries of origin and than in immigrants who resided in the rest of Spain. Immigrants in the preferred destination area had a higher percentage of retired persons, longer time of residence and a lower percentage of persons with university education. The largest differences between the two areas in cardiovascular and all-disease mortality and in the frequency of the aforementioned sociodemographic characteristics were observed in British immigrants and those from the 16 OECD countries. Possible explanations for these findings are suggested which are compatible with the presence of an unhealthy and/or healthy immigrant bias in the two areas.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Wild S, McKeigue P. Cross sectional analysis of mortality by country of birth in England and Wales. BMJ. 1997;314:705–10.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Singh GK, Siahpush M. All-cause and cause-specific mortality of immigrants and native born in the United States. Am J Public Health. 2001;91:392–9.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Bos V, Kunst AE, Keij-Deerenberg IM, Garssen J, Mackenbach J. Ethnic inequalities in age- and cause-specific mortality in The Netherlands. Int J Epidemiol. 2004;3:1112–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Deboosere P, Gadeyne S. Adult migrant mortality advantage in Belgium: evidence using census and register data. Population. 2005;60:655–98.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Gadd M, Johanson S-E, Sundquist J, Wändell P. Are there differences in all-cause and coronary heart disease mortality between immigrants in Sweden and in their country of birth? A follow-up study of total populations. BMC Public Health. 2006;6:102.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Abraido-Lanza AF, Dohrenwent BP, Ng-Mak DS, Turner JB. The Latino mortality paradox: a test of the “salmon bias” and healthy migrant hypothesis. Am J Public Health. 1999;89:1543–8.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Razum O, Zeeb H, Rohrmann S. The “healthy migrant effect”—not merely a fallacy of inaccurate denominator figures. Int J Epidemiol. 2000;29:191–2.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Davey Simth G, Chaturvedi N, Harding S, Nazroo J, Williams R. Ethnic inequalities in health: a review of UK epidemiological evidence. Crit Public Health. 2000;10:375–408.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Razum O. Commentary: of salmon and time travellers—musing on the mystery of migrant mortality. Int J Epidemiol. 2006;35:919–21.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. O’Reilly K. Intra-European migration and the mobility-enclosure dialectic. Sociology. 2007;41:277–93.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Warnes AM, Friedrich K, Kellaher L, Torres S. The diversity and welfare of older migrants in Europe. Ageing Soc. 2004;24:307–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Regidor E, de la Fuente L, Martínez D, Calle ME, Domínguez V. Heterogeneity in cause-specific mortality according to birthplace in immigrant men residing in Madrid, Spain. Ann Epidemiol. 2008;18:605–15.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Rodríguez V, Fernández-Mayorales G, Rojo F. European retirees on the Costa del Sol: a cross-national comparison. Int J Popul Geogr. 1998;4:183–200.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Casado-Díaz MA, Kaiser C, Warnes AM. Northern European retired residents in nine southern European areas: characteristics motivations and adjustment. Ageing Soc. 2004;24:353–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. UK and Ireland rank bottom in Quality of Life Index. www.uswitch.com/Press-Room/Index.aspx?downloadfile=UK-AND-IRELAND-RANK-BOTTOM-IN-EUROPEAN-QUALITY-OF-LIFE-INDEX. Accessed 2 Jan 2009.

  16. Instituto Nacional de Estadística. Statistical exploitation of the Municipal Register. http://www.ine.es/jaxi/menu.do?type=pcaxis&path=%2Ft20/e245&file=inebase&L=1. Accessed 2 Jan 2009.

  17. Instituto Nacional de Estadística National Immigrant Survey 2007. http://www.ine.es/jaxi/menu.do?type=pcaxis&path=%2Ft20%2Fp319&file=inebase&L=1. Accessed 1 July 2010.

  18. Greenland S, Rothman KJ. Introduction to stratified analysis. In: Rothman KJ, Greenland S, editors. Modern epidemiology. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 1998. p. 253–80.

    Google Scholar 

  19. World Health Organization. Health statistics and health information systems. WHO Mortality Database. http://www.who.int/whosis/database/mort/table1.cfm. Accessed 5 July 2010.

  20. Morris JK, Cook DG, Gerald Shaper A. Loss of employment and mortality. BMJ. 1994;308:1135–9.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Quaade T, Engholm G, Johansen AMT, Moller H. Mortality in relation to early retirement in Denmark: a population-based study. Scand J Public Health. 2002;30:216–22.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Tsai AP, Wendt JK, Donnelly RP, de Jong G, Ahmed FS. Age at retirement and long term survival of an industrial population: prospective cohort study. BMJ. 2005;331:995.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Bamia C, Trichopoulou A, Trichopoulos D. Age at retirement and mortality in a general population sample: the Greek EPIC study. Am J Epidemiol. 2007;167:561–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Karpansalo M, Manninen P, Kauhanen J, Lakka TA, Salonen JT. Perceived health as a predictor of early retirement. Scan J Work Environ Health. 2004;30:287–92.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Mein G, Martikainen P, Stansfeld SA, Brunner EJ, Fuhrer R, Marmot MG. Predictor of early retirement in British civil servants. Age Ageing. 2000;29:529–36.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Kaplan GA, Keil JEK. Socioeconomic factors and cardiovascular disease: a review of the literature. Circulation. 1993;88:1973–98.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Davey G, Smith G, Hart C, Hole D, MacKinnon P, Gillis C, Watt G, Blane D, Hawthorne V. Education and occupational social class: which is the more important indicator of mortality risk? J Epidemiol Community Health. 1998;52:153–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Huisman M, Kunst E, Bopp M, Borgan JK, Borrell C, Costa G, Deboosere P, Gadeyne S, Glickman M, Marianacci CH, Minder CH, Regidor E, Valkonen T, Mackenbach JP. Educational inequalities in cause-specific mortality in middle-aged and older men and women in eight western European populations. Lancet. 2005;365:493–500.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Enrique Regidor, Paloma Astasio, Paloma Ortega, David Martínez & M. Elisa Calle

  2. CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP) www.ciberesp.es

    Enrique Regidor & Luis de la Fuente

  3. Plan Nacional de Sida, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain

    Luis de la Fuente

Authors
  1. Enrique Regidor
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Paloma Astasio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Paloma Ortega
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. David Martínez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. M. Elisa Calle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Luis de la Fuente
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Enrique Regidor.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Regidor, E., Astasio, P., Ortega, P. et al. Healthy and unhealthy migrant effect on the mortality of immigrants from wealthy countries residing in Spain. Eur J Epidemiol 26, 265–273 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-010-9511-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-010-9511-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation