[Immigrant health in Canada: current state of knowledge, interventions and issues]

This article presents a synthesis of current research, presented during a symposium entitled, ‘Immigrant health in Canada: Current state of knowledge, interventions and issues,’ organized by the Public Health Agency of Canada. We begin with a general overview of the health of immigrants in Canada. We then analyze the role of community health workers in tackling health inequalities in this population, and certain ways of adapting health services to respond to the growing linguistic and cultural diversity present in Canadian society. We conclude with a discussion of one initiative developed by elderly-friendly local authorities. Throughout the symposium, the speakers emphasized an approach based on the determinants of health, which aims to improve health outcomes of the targeted populations, provide appropriate services and reduce health inequalities.