Health worsens after immigration, study shows

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.