Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2006 Mar 27:6:78.
doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-6-78.

Differences in avoidable mortality between migrants and the native Dutch in The Netherlands

I Stirbu  1 , A E Kunst, V Bos, J P Mackenbach
Affiliations

Differences in avoidable mortality between migrants and the native Dutch in The Netherlands

I Stirbu et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: The quality of the healthcare system and its role in influencing mortality of migrant groups can be explored by examining ethnic variations in 'avoidable' mortality. This study investigates the association between the level of mortality from 'avoidable' causes and ethnic origin in the Netherlands and identifies social factors that contribute to this association.

Methods: Data were obtained from cause of death and population registries in the period 1995-2000. We compared mortality rates for selected 'avoidable' conditions for Turkish, Moroccan, Surinamese and Antillean/Aruban groups to native Dutch.

Results: We found slightly elevated risk in total 'avoidable' mortality for migrant populations (RR = 1.13). Higher risks of death among migrants were observed from almost all infectious diseases (most RR > 3.00) and several chronic conditions including asthma, diabetes and cerebro-vascular disorders (most RR > 1.70). Migrant women experienced a higher risk of death from maternity-related conditions (RR = 3.37). Surinamese and Antillean/Aruban population had a higher mortality risk (RR = 1.65 and 1.31 respectively), while Turkish and Moroccans experienced a lower risk of death (RR = 0.93 and 0.77 respectively) from all 'avoidable' conditions compared to native Dutch. Control for demographic and socioeconomic factors explained a substantial part of ethnic differences in 'avoidable' mortality.

Conclusion: Compared to the native Dutch population, total 'avoidable' mortality was slightly elevated for all migrants combined. Mortality risks varied greatly by cause of death and ethnic origin. The substantial differences in mortality for a few 'avoidable' conditions suggest opportunities for quality improvement within specific areas of the healthcare system targeted to disadvantaged groups.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Age standardized mortality rates by condition group and ethnicity. Men and women combined.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Macinko JA, Starfield B. Annotated Bibliography on Equity in Health, 1980-2001. International Journal for Equity in Health. 2002;1:1. doi: 10.1186/1475-9276-1-1. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Singh G, Siahpush M. All-cause and cause-specific mortality of immigrants and native born in the United States. Am J Public Health. 2001;91:392–399. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mackenbach J, Stronks K, Kunst A. The contribution of medical care to inequalities in health: differences between socio-economic groups in decline of mortality from conditions amenable to medical interventions. Soc Sci Med. 1989;29:369–376. doi: 10.1016/0277-9536(89)90285-2. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Westerling R, Gullberg A, Rosen M. Socio-economic differences in 'avoidable mortality' in Sweden 1986-1990. Int J Epidemiol. 1996;25:560–567. - PubMed
    1. Essen B, Bodker B, Sjoberg N, Langhoff-Ross J, Greisen G, Gudmundsson S, Ostergren P. Are some perinatal deaths in immigrant groups linked to suboptimal perinatal care services? BJOG. 2002;109:677–682. - PubMed

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources