Health worsens after immigration, study shows
October 27, 2008
Comments on this story
(6)
Shabnam Janet Janani
The health of immigrants decreases over time in Canada and actually gets worse than the health of people born here, a study shows.
"The health of immigrants worsens with each decade they stay in the country," said Dr. Scott Lear, a kinesiologist at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia who is to present the study today at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress in Toronto.
The study, released yesterday, looked at 618 people – 158 Canadian-born and 460 immigrants from South Asia, China and Europe. Researchers found length of stay remained an independent factor for atherosclerosis – narrowing of arteries – even after considering age, sex, ethnicity or family history of cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Chi-Ming Chow of the Heart and Stroke Foundation adds length of stay is also a "predictor of developing cardiovascular disease." Stress, language barriers and changes to diet and physical activity are likely to blame, doctors say.
Toronto Star