Examining the gender, ethnicity, and age dimensions of the healthy immigrant effect: Factors in the development of equitable health policy

International Journal for Equity in Health

Steven G Prus²  Karen M Kobayashi¹ 

[1] Department of Sociology, University of Victoria, PO Box 3050 STN CSC, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W3P5, Canada;Department of Sociology, Carleton University, B750 Loeb Building, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K1S5B6, Canada

关键词: health care policy;    later life;    mid-life;    ethnicity;    gender;    healthy immigrant effect;   

Others  :  829291
DOI  :  10.1186/1475-9276-11-8

 received in 2011-02-24, accepted in 2012-02-16,  发布年份 2012

【 摘 要 】

This study expands on previous research on the healthy immigrant effect (HIE) in Canada by considering the effects of both immigrant and visible minority status on self-rated health for males and females in mid-(45-64) and later life (65+). The findings reveal a strong HIE among new immigrant middle-aged men, particularly non-Whites. For older men of color the reality is strikingly different: they are disadvantaged in health compared to their Canadian-born counterparts, even when a number of demographic, economic, and lifestyle factors are controlled. Health outcomes for immigrant women are in contrast to that of immigrant men. Among middle-aged women, immigrants, regardless of their ethnicity or number of years since immigration, are much more likely to report poor health compared to the Canadian-born. And, for older women, recent non-white immigrants are more likely to report better health compared to Canadian-born women, although this finding is explained by differences in demographic, economic, and lifestyle factors. Overall, the findings demonstrate the importance of considering the intersections of age, gender, and ethnicity for policymakers in assessing the health of immigrants.

【 授权许可】

   
2012 Kobayashi and Prus; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

Figure 1.

【 参考文献 】

• [1]Globerman S: Immigration and health care utilization patterns in Canada. RIIM Working Paper Series #98-08 1998.
• [2]Gee E, Kobayashi KM, Prus S: Examining the "Healthy Immigrant Effect" in Mid- To Later Life: Findings from the 2001 Canadian Community Health Survey. Canadian Journal on Aging 2004, 23(Supplement 1):S61-S69.
• [3]Dunn JR, Dyck I: Social determinants of health in Canada's immigrant population: Results from the National Population Health Survey. Social Science and Medicine 2000, 51:1573-93.
• [4]Newbold KB: Self-rated health within the Canadian immigrant population: risk and the healthy immigrant effect. Social Science and Medicine 2005, 60(6):1359-1370.
• [5]Kennedy S, McDonald T, Biddle N: The Healthy Immigrant Effect and immigrant selection: Evidence from four countries. SEDAP Research Paper #164 2006.
• [6]Idler E, Benyamini Y: Self-rated health and mortality: a review of twenty-seven community studies. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 1997, 38:21-37.
• [7]Idler E, Russell L, Davis D: Survival, functional limitations, and self-rated health in the NHANES I Epidemiologic Follow-up Study. American Journal of Epidemiology 1992, 152:874-883.
• [8]Mossey J, Shapiro E: Self-rated health: A predictor of mortality among the elderly. American Journal of Public Health 1982, 72:800-808.
• [9]Smith A, Shelley J, Dennerstein L: Self-rated health: Biological continuum or social discontinuity? Social Science & Medicine 1994, 39:77-83.
• [10]van Doorslaer E, Gerdtham U: Does inequality in self assessed health predict inequality in survival by income? Evidence from Swedish data. Social Science & Medicine 2003, 38:1621-1629.
• [11]Mansson N, Rastam L: Self-rated health as a predictor of disability pension and death--A prospective study of middle-aged men. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health 2001, 29:151-158.
• [12]Cott C, Gignac M, Badley E: Determinants of self-rated health for Canadians with chronic disease and disability. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 1999, 53:731-736.
• [13]Manderbacka K, Lahelma E, Martikainen P: Examining the continuity of self-rated health. International Journal of Epidemiology 1998, 27:208-213.
• [14]Pinquart M: Correlates of subjective health in older adults: A metaanalysis. Psychology and Aging 2001, 16:414-426.
• [15]Banks J, Marmot M, Oldfield Z, Smith J: Disease and disadvantage in the United States and in England. Journal of the American Medical Association 2006, 295:2037-2045.
• [16]Laroche M: Health Status and Health Services Utilization of Canada's Immigrant and Non-Immigrant Populations. Canadian Public Policy 2000, 26(1):51-73.
• [17]Ali J: Mental Health of Canada's Immigrants. Health Reports 2002., 13Statistics Canada, Catalogue 82-003
• [18]Kopec JA, Williams JI, To T, Austin PC: Cross-Cultural Comparisons of Health Status in Canada Using the Health Utilities Index. Ethnicity and Health 2001, 6(1):41-50.
• [19]Saldov M: The Ethnic Elderly: Communication Barriers to Health Care. Canadian Social Work Review 1991, 8(2):269-277.
• [20]Franks P, Gold M, Fiscella K: Sociodemographics, self rated health, and mortality in the US. Social Science & Medicine 2003, 56:2505-2514.
• [21]Schnittker J: When mental health becomes health: Age and the shifting meaning of self-evaluations of general health. Milbank Quarterly 2005, 83:397-423.
• [22]Simon J, De Boer J, Joung I, Bosma H, Mackenbach J: How is your health in general? A qualitative study on self assessed health. European Journal of Public Health 2005, 15:200-208.
• [23]Perez C: 'Health Status and Health Behaviour Among Immigrants'. Health Reports 2002., 13(Supplement)