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The negative self-perceived health of migrants with precarious status in Montreal, Canada: A cross-sectional study

Author

Listed:
  • Patrick Cloos
  • Elhadji Malick Ndao
  • Josephine Aho
  • Magalie Benoît
  • Amandine Fillol
  • Maria Munoz-Bertrand
  • Marie-Jo Ouimet
  • Jill Hanley
  • Valéry Ridde

Abstract

Background: Knowledge about the health impacts of the absence of health insurance for migrants with precarious status (MPS) in Canada is scarce. MPS refer to immigrants with authorized but temporary legal status (i.e. temporary foreign workers, visitors, international students) and/or unauthorized status (out of legal status, i.e. undocumented). This is the first large empirical study that examines the social determinants of self-perceived health of MPS who are uninsured and residing in Montreal. Methods and findings: Between June 2016 and September 2017, we performed a cross-sectional survey of uninsured migrants in Montreal, Quebec. Migrants without health insurance (18+) were sampled through venue-based recruitment, snowball strategy and media announcements. A questionnaire focusing on sociodemographic, socioeconomic and psychosocial characteristics, social determinants, health needs and access to health care, and health self-perception was administered to 806 individuals: 54.1% were recruited in urban spaces and 45.9% in a health clinic. 53.9% were categorized as having temporary legal status in Canada and 46% were without authorized status. Regions of birth were: Asia (5.2%), Caribbean (13.8%), Europe (7.3%), Latin America (35.8%), Middle East (21%), Sub-Saharan Africa (15.8%) and the United States (1.1%). The median age was 37 years (range:18–87). The proportion of respondents reporting negative (bad/fair) self-perception of health was 44.8%: 36.1% among migrants with authorized legal status and 54.4% among those with unauthorized status (statistically significant difference; p

Suggested Citation

  • Patrick Cloos & Elhadji Malick Ndao & Josephine Aho & Magalie Benoît & Amandine Fillol & Maria Munoz-Bertrand & Marie-Jo Ouimet & Jill Hanley & Valéry Ridde, 2020. "The negative self-perceived health of migrants with precarious status in Montreal, Canada: A cross-sectional study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(4), pages 1-22, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0231327
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231327
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Catherine Schmidt & Rupaleem Bhuyan, 2025. "“It Sounds Like You Don’t Want to Help Me”: How Everyday Bordering in Settlement Services Impacts Immigrant Women in Canada," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 26(1), pages 255-277, March.
    2. Bruno Schoumaker & Mireille Le Guen & Louise Caron & Wanli Nie, 2022. "Multiple (il)legal pathways: The diversity of immigrants' legal trajectories in Belgium," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 47(10), pages 247-290.
    3. Bishnu Bahadur Bajgain & Kalpana Thapa Bajgain & Sujan Badal & Fariba Aghajafari & Jeanette Jackson & Maria-Jose Santana, 2020. "Patient-Reported Experiences in Accessing Primary Healthcare among Immigrant Population in Canada: A Rapid Literature Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-20, November.

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