Geographic distribution of stroke mortality among immigrants to the United States

This study examines the geographic distribution of stroke mortality among immigrants and natives of the United States.

National Center for Health Statistics and Bureau of the Census data were used to determine the geographic distribution of age-adjusted, race-, and race/sex-specific stroke mortality rates among immigrants and natives of the United States for 1979 to 1981.

For whites and blacks and for each of the respective race/sex groups, immigrants had markedly and highly statistically significantly lower age-adjusted stroke mortality rates than either the entire US-born resident population or the US-born interregional migrant population. The spatial pattern of immigrant rates did not parallel the patterns for US-born populations. Immigrant rates were highest in the West and lowest in the Midwest for whites and highest in the Midwest and lowest in the Northeast for blacks, whereas for both US-born whites and blacks, resident and native rates were highest in the South and lowest in the Midwest. With few exceptions, region-specific immigrant rates for whites and blacks were significantly lower than rates for either US-born regional residents, US-born migrants to the regions, or US-born natives of the regions. In contrast, white immigrants to the West had significantly higher rates than US-born groups in that region.

Selection factors strongly influence stroke mortality rates among immigrants to the United States. The aberrantly high rates among white immigrants to the West may in part reflect a bias due to large census undercounts of this population.