Mortality statistics in immigrant research: method for adjusting underestimation of mortality

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Demography
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Register-based studies face challenges in accurately comparing mortality rates across ethnic groups due to unregistered emigration of immigrants.
• This limitation can lead to biased mortality statistics for immigrant populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present and evaluate a novel method for addressing inaccuracies in register-based mortality studies of immigrants.
• To improve the precision of mortality rate comparisons between native and immigrant populations.

Main Methods:

• Calculated age-standardized mortality rates for native Swedes and immigrants (aged 20-64) using census and migration data from 1985-1994.
• Utilized income data as a proxy indicator for an individual's actual residence in Sweden to refine population under scrutiny.

Main Results:

• Initial analysis of all registered individuals showed significantly lower death rates among immigrants from outside North-East Europe compared to native Swedes.
• Inclusion of income data revealed that previously observed significantly reduced death risks for some immigrant subgroups were no longer statistically significant.
• Extremely low death rates were noted for immigrants from specific regions (Turkey, Southern Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa), particularly those younger and without income.

Conclusions:

• The study highlights the critical need to account for unregistered emigration when interpreting immigrant mortality data from official statistics.
• Employing income information as an indicator of residence offers a promising approach for more accurate assessments of immigrant mortality.
• This method has significant implications for public health policy and research concerning immigrant populations.