IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/dem/demres/v34y2016i32.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Investigating the migrant mortality advantage at the intersections of social stratification in Switzerland

Author

Listed:
  • Jonathan Zufferey

    (Université de Genève)

Abstract

Background: Migrant mortality advantage has been widely studied in Western countries, but little attention has been paid to how social factors interact to increase or diminish risks of death. Socioeconomic factors are indeed widely used in regression models but mostly to define, ceteris paribus, whether migrants have a higher propensity to die than natives. Objective: Using an inductive approach, the aim of this paper is to reassess the role of social factors. Focusing on migrant communities, the paper establishes at which intersection of the components of social stratification the migrant mortality advantage is mainly located. Methods: This study is based on census data linked with population registers (2001-2008) and focuses on individuals aged 25-64 years living in Switzerland. It uses model-based regression trees to first map the structure of mortality risks within the social stratification. In a second step, a confirmatory analysis supports the main outcomes. Results: Inductive methods give substantial results, firstly in revealing interactions within the social structure. Secondly, the findings suggest that the mortality advantage is not located only among immigrants but encompasses a wide population with a foreign background. Thirdly, it demonstrates that the migrant mortality advantage is stronger in the most vulnerable profiles. The non-inclusion in previous research of the flatter mortality gradient among individuals with a foreign background tends to underestimate the strength of the differentials. Conclusions: Selection and acculturation explanations are not sufficient to understand the migrant mortality advantage. Psychosocial factors related to the migration background may provide an alternative explanation. Contribution: Selection and acculturation explanations are not sufficient to understand the migrant mortality advantage. Psychosocial factors related to the migration background may provide an alternative explanation.

Suggested Citation

  • Jonathan Zufferey, 2016. "Investigating the migrant mortality advantage at the intersections of social stratification in Switzerland," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 34(32), pages 899-926.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:34:y:2016:i:32
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2016.34.32
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.demographic-research.org/volumes/vol34/32/34-32.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.4054/DemRes.2016.34.32?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Viruell-Fuentes, Edna A. & Miranda, Patricia Y. & Abdulrahim, Sawsan, 2012. "More than culture: Structural racism, intersectionality theory, and immigrant health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(12), pages 2099-2106.
    2. Abraído-Lanza, Ana F. & Chao, Maria T. & Flórez, Karen R., 2005. "Do healthy behaviors decline with greater acculturation?: Implications for the Latino mortality paradox," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(6), pages 1243-1255, September.
    3. Jon Anson, 2004. "The Migrant Mortality Advantage: A 70 Month Follow-up of the Brussels Population," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 20(3), pages 191-218, September.
    4. Abraído-Lanza, A.F. & Dohrenwend, B.P. & Ng-Mak, D.S. & Turner, J.B., 1999. "The Latino mortality paradox: A test of the 'salmon bias' and healthy migrant hypotheses," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 89(10), pages 1543-1548.
    5. Hunt, L.M.Linda M. & Schneider, Suzanne & Comer, Brendon, 2004. "Should "acculturation" be a variable in health research? A critical review of research on US Hispanics," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 59(5), pages 973-986, September.
    6. Acevedo-Garcia, Dolores & Sanchez-Vaznaugh, Emma V. & Viruell-Fuentes, Edna A. & Almeida, Joanna, 2012. "Integrating social epidemiology into immigrant health research: A cross-national framework," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(12), pages 2060-2068.
    7. Goldman, N. & Kimbro, R.T. & Turra, C.M. & Pebley, A.R., 2006. "Socioeconomic gradients in health for White and Mexican-origin populations," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 96(12), pages 2186-2193.
    8. G. V. Kass, 1980. "An Exploratory Technique for Investigating Large Quantities of Categorical Data," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series C, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 29(2), pages 119-127, June.
    9. Mackenbach, Johan P., 2012. "The persistence of health inequalities in modern welfare states: The explanation of a paradox," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(4), pages 761-769.
    10. Adrian Spoerri & Marcel Zwahlen & Matthias Egger & Matthias Bopp, 2010. "The Swiss National Cohort: a unique database for national and international researchers," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 55(4), pages 239-242, August.
    11. Achim Zeileis & Kurt Hornik, 2007. "Generalized M‐fluctuation tests for parameter instability," Statistica Neerlandica, Netherlands Society for Statistics and Operations Research, vol. 61(4), pages 488-508, November.
    12. Cassio M. Turra & Noreen Goldman, 2007. "Socioeconomic Differences in Mortality Among U.S. Adults: Insights Into the Hispanic Paradox," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 62(3), pages 184-192.
    13. Alberto Palloni & Elizabeth Arias, 2004. "Paradox lost: Explaining the hispanic adult mortality advantage," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 41(3), pages 385-415, August.
    14. repec:cai:poeine:pope_505_0655 is not listed on IDEAS
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Michel Guillot & Myriam Khlat & Matthew Wallace, 2019. "Adult mortality among second-generation immigrants in France: Results from a nationally representative record linkage study," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 40(54), pages 1603-1644.
    2. Mathieu Ichou & Matthew Wallace, 2019. "The Healthy Immigrant Effect: The role of educational selectivity in the good health of migrants," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 40(4), pages 61-94.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mathieu Ichou & Matthew Wallace, 2019. "The Healthy Immigrant Effect: The role of educational selectivity in the good health of migrants," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 40(4), pages 61-94.
    2. Levchenko, Yuliana, 2021. "Aging into disadvantage: Disability crossover among Mexican immigrants in America," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 285(C).
    3. Ro, Annie & Bostean, Georgiana, 2015. "Duration of U.S. stay and body mass index among Latino and Asian immigrants: A test of theoretical pathways," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 39-47.
    4. Acevedo-Garcia, Dolores & Sanchez-Vaznaugh, Emma V. & Viruell-Fuentes, Edna A. & Almeida, Joanna, 2012. "Integrating social epidemiology into immigrant health research: A cross-national framework," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(12), pages 2060-2068.
    5. Allen, Jennifer Dacey & Caspi, Caitlin & Yang, May & Leyva, Bryan & Stoddard, Anne M. & Tamers, Sara & Tucker-Seeley, Reginald D. & Sorensen, Glorian C., 2014. "Pathways between acculturation and health behaviors among residents of low-income housing: The mediating role of social and contextual factors," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 26-36.
    6. Irma Elo & Neil Mehta & Cheng Huang, 2011. "Disability Among Native-born and Foreign-born Blacks in the United States," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 48(1), pages 241-265, February.
    7. Wallace, Matthew & Kulu, Hill, 2014. "Low immigrant mortality in England and Wales: A data artefact?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 100-109.
    8. Ullmann, S. Heidi & Goldman, Noreen & Massey, Douglas S., 2011. "Healthier before they migrate, less healthy when they return? The health of returned migrants in Mexico," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 73(3), pages 421-428, August.
    9. Terriquez, Veronica & Joseph, Tiffany D., 2016. "Ethnoracial inequality and insurance coverage among Latino young adults," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 150-158.
    10. Hiram Beltrán-Sánchez & Alberto Palloni & Fernando Riosmena & Rebeca Wong, 2016. "SES Gradients Among Mexicans in the United States and in Mexico: A New Twist to the Hispanic Paradox?," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 53(5), pages 1555-1581, October.
    11. Creighton, Mathew J. & Goldman, Noreen & Pebley, Anne R. & Chung, Chang Y., 2012. "Durational and generational differences in Mexican immigrant obesity: Is acculturation the explanation?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(2), pages 300-310.
    12. Frank Trovato, 2020. "The Immigrant Mortality Advantage in Canada, 2001 and 2011," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 351-379, June.
    13. Shira M Goldenberg & Andrea Krüsi & Emma Zhang & Jill Chettiar & Kate Shannon, 2017. "Structural Determinants of Health among Im/Migrants in the Indoor Sex Industry: Experiences of Workers and Managers/Owners in Metropolitan Vancouver," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(1), pages 1-18, January.
    14. Mara Sheftel & Frank W. Heiland, 2018. "Disability crossover: Is there a Hispanic immigrant health advantage that reverses from working to old age?," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 39(7), pages 209-250.
    15. Santosh Jatrana & Ken Richardson & Tony Blakely & Saira Dayal, 2014. "Does Mortality Vary between Asian Subgroups in New Zealand: An Application of Hierarchical Bayesian Modelling," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(8), pages 1-10, August.
    16. Hamilton, Tod G. & Hummer, Robert A., 2011. "Immigration and the health of U.S. black adults: Does country of origin matter?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 73(10), pages 1551-1560.
    17. Jose N. Martinez & Ernesto Aguayo-Tellez & Erick Rangel-Gonzalez, 2015. "Explaining the Mexican-American Health Paradox Using Selectivity Effects," International Migration Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(4), pages 878-906, December.
    18. Martin, Molly A. & Van Hook, Jennifer L. & Quiros, Susana, 2015. "Is socioeconomic incorporation associated with a healthier diet? Dietary patterns among Mexican-origin children in the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 20-29.
    19. Stoddard, Pamela, 2009. "Risk of smoking initiation among Mexican immigrants before and after immigration to the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(1), pages 94-100, July.
    20. Marilyn S. Nanney & Samuel L. Myers & Man Xu & Kateryna Kent & Thomas Durfee & Michele L. Allen, 2019. "The Economic Benefits of Reducing Racial Disparities in Health: The Case of Minnesota," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-13, March.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    mortality; migrants; Switzerland; social stratification; mortality paradox; regression trees;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:34:y:2016:i:32. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Editorial Office (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.demogr.mpg.de/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.