[Decrease in the "healthy migrant effect": trends in the morbidity of foreign and German participants in the...

Comparing data from three cross-sections of the German Socio-Economic-Panel (1984, 1988, 1992), migrants who had come to Germany until 1973 showed a better state of health than the German participants. This "healthy-migrant-effect" can be demonstrated for all three morbidity indicators used in this study (restriction of daily activities due to poor health, chronic illness, disablement). After controlling for age, only the indicator "restriction of daily activities" reveals higher morbidity rates for migrants than for German participants in 1984. With increasing age morbidity also increased between 1984 and 1992, but the increase was more pronounced for migrants than for the German participants. The resulting reduction of the "healthy-migrant-effect" can be seen most clearly for the indicator "chronic illness".