Variations in all cause and cardiovascular mortality by country of birth in Scotland, 1997-2003

Abstract

Background and aims: Country of birth provides a proxy for ethnic group for recent migrants. Major differences in mortality by country of birth have been demonstrated in England and Wales, but similar published data for Scotland are lacking. We aimed to examine variations in mortality by country of birth for Scottish residents.

Methods: We calculated standardised mortality ratios by country of birth for Scottish residents aged 25 years and over between January 1997 and March 2003.

Results and conclusion: Comparisons with England and Wales showed high all-cause, coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke mortality among Scottish residents born in Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, India and Hong Kong. However, most country of birth groups had similar or lower mortality than the Scottish born. These are the first data on mortality by country of birth in Scotland and they demonstrate major variations. Comparisons within the Scottish population might be interpreted as reassuring, since they do not show the excesses in CHD mortality by country of birth reported in England and Wales. However, the use of England and Wales as a comparison group shows a substantial excess of CHD risk among South Asians in Scotland, comparable to that reported in England and Wales.