Migration and health: a study of effects of early life experiences and current socio-economic situation on mortality of immigrants in Sweden

Abstract

Objectives. Previous research has demonstrated mortality differences between immigrants and natives living in Sweden. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of early life conditions in the country of birth and current socio-economic conditions in adult life in Sweden on cardiovascular, cancer, all other cause and total mortality among immigrants and natives in Sweden.

Design. The cohort data concerning individual demographic characteristics and socio-economic conditions stems from the Swedish Longitudinal Immigrant Database (SLI), a register-based representative database, and consists of individuals from 11 countries of birth, born between 1921 and 1939, who were residents in Sweden between 1980 and 2001. The associations between current socio-economic conditions as well as infant mortality rates (IMR) and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita in the year and country of birth, and total, cardiovascular, cancer and ‘all other’ mortality in 1980–2001 were calculated by survival analysis using Cox proportional hazards regression to calculate hazard rate ratios.

Results. The effects of current adult life socio-economic conditions in Sweden on mortality are both stronger and more straightforward than the effects of early life conditions in the sense that higher socio-economic status is significantly associated with lower mortality in all groups of diagnoses; however, we find associations between infant mortality rates (IMR) in the year and country of birth, and cancer mortality among men and women in the final model.

Conclusions. Socioeconomic conditions in Sweden are more strongly associated with mortality than early life indicators IMR and GDP per capita in the year of birth in the country of origin. This finding has health policy and other policy implications.

Keywords:

• early life conditions
• infant mortality rate
• GDP per capita
• immigrant mortality
• socio-economic status
• Sweden

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Swedish Research Council Linnaeus Centre for Economic Demography (VR 79), the Swedish ALF Government Grant Dnr M 2007/1656, and the Research Funds of the Malmö University Hospital.