[DOWNLOAD] "Health Decline Among Recent Immigrants to Canada: Findings from a Nationally-Representative Longitudinal Survey (Quantitative Research) (Survey)" by Canadian Journal of Public Health ~ Book PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Health Decline Among Recent Immigrants to Canada: Findings from a Nationally-Representative Longitudinal Survey (Quantitative Research) (Survey)
- Author : Canadian Journal of Public Health
- Release Date : January 01, 2011
- Genre: Law,Books,Professional & Technical,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 341 KB
Description
Immigrants form a significant and growing proportion of the Canadian population. In 2006, there were more than 6 million immigrants living in Canada, making up almost 20% of the population. Each year, Canada accepts about 200,000 new immigrants, a number which represents 0.7% of its total population. (1) Recent immigrants to Canada tend to be in better health than the nativeborn population. (2) This phenomenon, known as the 'healthy immigrant effect', is a result of immigrants having better health habits in their countries of origin; a positive self-selection effect where healthier people are more likely to apply for immigration; and the selection policies of Citizenship and Immigration Canada whereby immigrants with serious health problems are rejected. (2,3) Many studies have suggested, however, that immigrants' health tends to decline following arrival in Canada. (2-8) The majority of studies on immigrant health used cross-sectional data, comparing the health status of successive waves of immigrants at one point in time. This design is vulnerable to cohort effects. Ng and colleagues' (4) longitudinal analysis of self-reported health indicated that non-European recent immigrants experienced a greater decline in health status than did individuals born in Canada. However, sample size restrictions prohibited detailed analysis of which factors were associated with health decline among immigrants. The current study used the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC), a large, prospective nationally representative population survey of new immigrants, to investigate baseline factors predicting health decline among immigrants four years after arriving in Canada. In addition to demographic predictors, we also assess the experience of discrimination and the effects of social networks on health decline. Perceived discrimination has been associated with lower self-reported health. (9) The role of social networks in the settlement and adaptation of immigrants has been well documented. (10-13)