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Higher Mortality and Different Pattern of Causes of Death Among Foreign-Born Compared to Native Swedes 1970–1999

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Abstract

In a previous Swedish longitudinal study of mortality among 723,948 foreign born and native-born Swedes, 1970–1999, increased mortality was found among foreign-born persons. This study describes and analyses the differences in mortality between 361,974 foreign-born persons and 361,974 native Swedes during the period 1970–1999, based on data from Statistics Sweden and the National Board of Health and Welfare. The mortality pattern showed dissimilarities; with a significantly higher number of deaths among foreign-born persons in six diagnose groups and a significantly lower mean age at time of death. A high number of deaths were found for migrants from Denmark in Neoplasm, for migrants from Finland and Poland in Diseases of the circulatory system and for migrants from Yugoslavia in Symptoms, signs and ill-defined conditions. There is a tendency to a more similar pattern between foreign- and Swedish-born persons over time. Migration may be a risk factor for health, and therefore seems to be an important factor to consider when studying morbidity and health and when planning preventive work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Health Sciences and Social Work, Växjö University, Sweden

    Björn Albin & Katarina Hjelm

  2. Department of Community Medicine, University of Lund, Sweden

    Katarina Hjelm

  3. School of Management and Economics, Växjö University, Sweden

    Jan Ekberg

  4. Department of Community Medicine, Division of Geriatrie Mediecine, University of Lund, Sweden

    Sölve Elmståhl

  5. School of Health Sciences and Social Work, Växjö University, S-351 95, Växjö, Sweden

    Björn Albin

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  1. Björn Albin
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  2. Katarina Hjelm
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  3. Jan Ekberg
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  4. Sölve Elmståhl
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Correspondence to Björn Albin.

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Albin, B., Hjelm, K., Ekberg, J. et al. Higher Mortality and Different Pattern of Causes of Death Among Foreign-Born Compared to Native Swedes 1970–1999. J Immigrant Health 8, 101–113 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-006-8519-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-006-8519-z

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