What do we have to know from migrants' past exposures to understand their health status? a life course approach

Emerging Themes in Epidemiology

Oliver Razum¹  Hajo Zeeb²  Jacob Spallek² 

[1] Bielefeld University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Epidemiology & International Public Health, Universitätsstraße 25, 33501 Bielefeld, Germany;Bremen Institute for Prevention Research and Social Medicine (BIPS), Department of Prevention and Evaluation, Unit of Social Epidemiology, Achterstraße 30, 28359 Bremen, Germany

关键词: life course epidemiology;    migrant health;    Migrants;   

Others  :  804084
DOI  :  10.1186/1742-7622-8-6

 received in 2011-02-07, accepted in 2011-08-15,  发布年份 2011

【 摘 要 】

Empirical findings show that morbidity and mortality risks of migrants can differ considerably from those of populations in the host countries. However, while several explanatory models have been developed, most migrant studies still do not consider explicitly the situation of migrants before migration. Here, we discuss an extended approach to understand migrant health comprising a life course epidemiology perspective.

The incorporation of a life course perspective into a conceptual framework of migrant health enables the consideration of risk factors and disease outcomes over the different life phases of migrants, which is necessary to understand the health situation of migrants and their offspring. Comparison populations need to be carefully selected depending on the study questions under consideration within the life course framework.

Migrant health research will benefit from an approach using a life course perspective. A critique of the theoretical foundations of migrant health research is essential for further developing both the theoretical framework of migrant health and related empirical studies.

【 授权许可】

   
2011 Spallek et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

Figure 1.

Figure 2.

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