Health and well-being of male international migrants and non-migrants in Bangladesh: A cross-sectional follow-up study


Autoři: Randall Kuhn aff001;  Tania Barham aff002;  Abdur Razzaque aff003;  Patrick Turner aff004
Působiště autorů: Department of Community Health Sciences, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, California, United States of America aff001;  Department of Economics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, United States of America aff002;  Health and Population Surveillance Division, icddr,b, Dhaka, Bangladesh aff003;  Department of Economics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America aff004
Vyšlo v časopise: Health and well-being of male international migrants and non-migrants in Bangladesh: A cross-sectional follow-up study. PLoS Med 17(3): e32767. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1003081
Kategorie: Research Article
doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003081

Souhrn

Background

Temporary labor migration is an increasingly important mode of migration that generates substantial remittance flows, but raises important concerns for migrant well-being. The migration and health literature has seen a growing call for longitudinal, binational surveys that compare migrants to relevant non-migrant counterfactual groups in the sending country, in order to answer the basic question “Is migration good for health?” This study compares the health of male international migrants, internal migrants, and non-migrants using a unique representative panel survey of the Matlab subdistrict of Bangladesh.

Methods and findings

A cohort of 5,072 respondents born 1958–1992 were interviewed in 1996–1997, and reinterviewed in 2012–2014. Extensive migrant follow-up yielded a 92% reinterview rate. We explored health and income outcomes for respondents who at the time of the follow-up interview were current international migrants (n = 790), returned international migrants (n = 209), internal migrants (n = 1,260), and non-migrants (n = 2,037). Compared to non-migrants, current international migrants were younger (mean 32.9 years versus 35.8 years), had more schooling (7.6 years versus 5.8 years), and were more likely to have an international migrant father (9.7% versus 4.0%) or brother (49.1% versus 30.3%). We estimated multivariate ordinary least squares and logistic regression models controlling for a wide range of control variables measured as far back as 1982. Results show that current international migrants had substantially better health status on factors that likely relate to self-selection such as grip strength and self-rated health. Current international migrants had no excess risk of injury in the past 12 months compared to non-migrants (adjusted mean risk = 6.0% versus 9.3%, p = 0.084). Compared to non-migrants, current international migrants had roughly twice the risk of overweight/obesity (adjusted mean risk = 51.7% versus 23.3%, p < 0.001), obesity (6.9% versus 3.4%, p = 0.012), and stage 1 or higher hypertension (13.0% versus 7.0%, p = 0.014). Compared to internal migrants, current international migrants had significantly higher levels of overweight/obesity (adjusted mean risk = 51.7% versus 37.7%, p < 0.001). Current international migrants showed above average levels of depressive symptoms on a 12-item standardized short-form Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (+0.220 SD, 95% CI 0.098–0.342), significantly higher than internal migrants (−0.028 SD, 95% CI −0.111, 0.055; p < 0.001). Depressive symptoms differed significantly from those reported by non-migrants when restricting to items on negative emotions (international migrant score = 0.254 SD, non-migrant score = 0.056 SD, p = 0.004). Key limitations include the descriptive nature of the analysis, the use of both in-person and phone survey data for international migrants, the long recall period for occupational and mental health risk measures, and the coverage of a single out-migration area of origin.

Conclusions

In this study, we observed that international migrants had comparable or lower injury and mortality risks compared to respondents remaining in Bangladesh, due in part to the high risks present in Bangladesh. International migrants also showed higher levels of self-rated health and physical strength, reflective of positive self-selection into migration. They had substantially higher risks of overweight/obesity, hypertension, and depression. Negative health impacts may reflect the effects of both harsh migration conditions and assimilation into host population conditions. Our results suggest the need for bilateral cooperation to improve the health of guest workers.

Klíčová slova:

Body Mass Index – Economics of migration – Global health – Hypertension – Mental health and psychiatry – Obesity – Social systems – Surveys


Zdroje

1. Martin P. Guest or temporary foreign worker programs. In: Chiswick BR, Miller PW, editors. Handbook of the economics of international migration. Amsterdam: Elsevier; 2015. pp. 717–73. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-444-53764-5.00014–1

2. Lenard PT, Straehle C. Temporary labour migration: exploitation, tool of development, or both? Policy Soc. 2010;29:283–94. doi: 10.1016/j.polsoc.2010.09.006

3. International Labour Office. ILO global estimates on international migrant workers: results and methodology. 2nd edition. Geneva: International Labour Office; 2018.

4. Preibisch K, Hennebry J. Temporary migration, chronic effects: the health of international migrant workers in Canada. CMAJ. 2011;183:1033–8. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.090736 21502343

5. Malhotra R, Arambepola C, Tarun S, Silva V de, Kishore J, Østbye T. Health issues of female foreign domestic workers: a systematic review of the scientific and gray literature. Int J Occup Environ Health. 2013;19:261–77. doi: 10.1179/2049396713Y.0000000041 24588033

6. Ruhs M, Martin P. Numbers vs. rights: trade‐offs and guest worker programs. Int Migr Rev. 2008;42:249–65.

7. Feliciano C. Educational selectivity in US immigration: how do immigrants compare to those left behind? Demography. 2005;42:131–52. doi: 10.1353/dem.2005.0001 15782899

8. Riosmena F, Kuhn R, Jochem WC. Explaining the immigrant health advantage: self-selection and protection in health-related factors among five major national-origin immigrant groups in the United States. Demography. 2017;54:175–200. doi: 10.1007/s13524-016-0542-2 28092071

9. Jasso G, Massey DS, Rosenzweig MR, Smith JP. Immigrant health: selectivity and acculturation. In: Anderson NB, Bulatao RA, Cohen B, editors. critical perspectives on racial and ethnic differences in health in late life. Washington (DC): National Academies Press; 2004.

10. Hayes L, White M, McNally RJQ, Unwin N, Tran A, Bhopal R. Do cardiometabolic, behavioural and socioeconomic factors explain the “healthy migrant effect” in the UK? Linked mortality follow-up of South Asians compared with white Europeans in the Newcastle Heart Project. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2017 Jul 25. doi: 10.1136/jech-2017-209348 28743730

11. Riosmena F, Wong R, Palloni A. Migration selection, protection, and acculturation in health: a binational perspective on older adults. Demography. 2013;50:1039–64. doi: 10.1007/s13524-012-0178-9 23192395

12. Bosdriesz JR, Lichthart N, Witvliet MI, Busschers WB, Stronks K, Kunst AE. Smoking prevalence among migrants in the US compared to the US-born and the population in countries of origin. PLoS ONE. 2013;8:e58654. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0058654 23520525

13. Willekens F, Massey D, Raymer J, Beauchemin C. International migration under the microscope. Science. 2016;352:897–9. doi: 10.1126/science.aaf6545 27199405

14. Liu M-M, Creighton MJ, Riosmena F, Muñoz PB. Prospects for the comparative study of international migration using quasi-longitudinal micro-data. Demogr Res. 2016;35:745. doi: 10.4054/DemRes.2016.35.26 29276429

15. Beauchemin C. A manifesto for quantitative multi-sited approaches to international migration. Int Migr Rev. 2014;48:921–38.

16. Rubalcava LN, Teruel GM, Thomas D, Goldman N. The healthy migrant effect: new findings from the Mexican Family Life Survey. Am J Public Health. 2008;98:78–84. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2006.098418 18048791

17. Goldman N, Pebley AR, Creighton MJ, Teruel GM, Rubalcava LN, Chung C. The consequences of migration to the united states for short-term changes in the health of Mexican immigrants. Demography. 2014;51:1159–73. doi: 10.1007/s13524-014-0304-y 24788391

18. Beauchemin C, González-Ferrer A. Sampling international migrants with origin-based snowballing method: new evidence on biases and limitations. Demogr Res. 2011;25:103–34.

19. Al-Thani H, El-Menyar A, Consunji R, Mekkodathil A, Peralta R, Allen KA, et al. Epidemiology of occupational injuries by nationality in Qatar: evidence for focused occupational safety programmes. Injury. 2015;46:1806–13. doi: 10.1016/j.injury.2015.04.023 25943291

20. Aryal N, Regmi PR, van Teijlingen E, Simkhada P, Adhikary P, Bhatta YKD, et al. Injury and mortality in young Nepalese migrant workers: a call for public health action. Asia Pac J Public Health. 2016;28:703–5. doi: 10.1177/1010539516668628 27634831

21. Hargreaves S, Rustage K, Nellums LB, McAlpine A, Pocock N, Devakumar D, et al. Occupational health outcomes among international migrant workers: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Glob Health. 2019;7:e872–82. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(19)30204-9 31122905

22. Kronfol Z, Saleh M, Al-Ghafry M. Mental health issues among migrant workers in Gulf Cooperation Council countries: literature review and case illustrations. Asian J Psychiatry. 2014;10:109–13. doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2014.03.003 25042963

23. Al Ansari A, Hamadeh RR, Ali MK, El Offi A. Suicide in Bahrain in the last decade. Crisis. 2007;28:11–5. doi: 10.1027/0227-5910.28.1.11 17555028

24. Al Madni OM, Kharoshah MAA, Zaki MK, Ghaleb SS. Hanging deaths in Dammam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. J Forensic Leg Med. 2010;17:265–8. doi: 10.1016/j.jflm.2010.04.003 20569953

25. Al Madni OM, Kharoshah M, Zaki MK, Murty O. Trends of suicide in Dammam Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. J Forensic Med Toxicol. 2010;27:58–62.

26. Dervic K, Amiri L, Niederkrotenthaler T, Yousef S, Salem MO, Voracek M, et al. Suicide rates in the national and expatriate population in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2012;58:652–6. doi: 10.1177/0020764011430038 22169999

27. El-Hilu SM, Mousa R, Abdulmalek H, Kamel N, Zohdi M, Maher A, et al. Psychiatric morbidity among foreign housemaids in Kuwait. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 1990;36:291–9. doi: 10.1177/002076409003600407 2079400

28. Zahid MA, Alsuwaidan M. The mental health needs of immigrant workers in Gulf countries. Int Psychiatry. 2014;11:79–81. doi: 10.1192/S1749367600004628 31507771

29. Al-Maskari F, Shah SM, Al-Sharhan R, Al-Haj E, Al-Kaabi K, Khonji D, et al. Prevalence of depression and suicidal behaviors among male migrant workers in United Arab Emirates. J Immigr Minor Health. 2011;13:1027. doi: 10.1007/s10903-011-9470-9 21503739

30. Joshi S, Simkhada P, Prescott GJ. Health problems of Nepalese migrants working in three Gulf countries. BMC Int Health Hum Rights. 2011;11:3. doi: 10.1186/1472-698X-11-3 21443802

31. Shah SM, Loney T, Sheek-Hussein M, El Sadig M, Al Dhaheri S, El Barazi I, et al. Hypertension prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control, in male South Asian immigrants in the United Arab Emirates: a cross-sectional study. BMC Cardiovasc Disord. 2015;15:30. doi: 10.1186/s12872-015-0024-2 25948543

32. Shah SM, Loney T, Dhaheri SA, Vatanparast H, Elbarazi I, Agarwal M, et al. Association between acculturation, obesity and cardiovascular risk factors among male South Asian migrants in the United Arab Emirates—a cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health. 2015;15:204. doi: 10.1186/s12889-015-1568-x 25885030

33. Longva AN. Walls built on sand: migration, exclusion, and society in Kuwait. Milton Park (UK): Routledge; 2019.

34. Gardner A. City of strangers: Gulf migration and the Indian community in Bahrain. Ithaca (NY): Cornell University Press; 2010.

35. Gardner A, Pessoa S, Diop A, Al-Ghanim K, Le Trung K, Harkness L. A portrait of low-income migrants in contemporary Qatar. J Arab Stud. 2013;3:1–17. doi: 10.1080/21534764.2013.806076

36. Strobl S. Policing HousemaidsThe Criminalization of Domestic Workers in Bahrain. Br J Criminol. 2009;49:165–183. doi: 10.1093/bjc/azn071

37. Mostofi M. For a better life: migrant worker abuse in Bahrain and the government reform agenda. New York: Human Rights Watch; 2012.

38. Human Rights Watch. Building a better World Cup: protecting migrant workers in Qatar ahead of FIFA 2022. New York: Human Rights Watch; 2012.

39. International Trade Union Confederation. Hidden faces of the Gulf miracle. Union View #21. Brussels: International Trade Union Confederation; 2011.

40. Rahman MM. Migrant indebtedness: Bangladeshis in the GCC countries. Int Migr. 2015;53:205–19. doi: 10.1111/imig.12084

41. Barham T, Kuhn R, Menken J, Razzaque A. Thirty-five years later: evaluating the effects of a child health and family planning programme in Bangladesh. Impact evaluation report 39. New Delhi: International Initiative for Impact Evaluation; 2016 [cited 2020 Mar 4]. Available from: https://www.3ieimpact.org/sites/default/files/2019-01/ie39_bangladesh-childhealth-family-planning_0.pdf.

42. WHO Expert Consultation. Appropriate body-mass index for Asian populations and its implications for policy and intervention strategies. Lancet. 2004;363:157–63. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(03)15268-3 14726171

43. Whelton PK, Carey RM, Aronow WS, Casey DE, Collins KJ, Dennison Himmelfarb C, et al. 2017 ACC/AHA/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/AGS/APhA/ASH/ASPC/NMA/PCNA guideline for the prevention, detection, evaluation, and management of high blood pressure in adults. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2018;71:e127–248. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2017.11.006 29146535

44. Alonge O, Agrawal P, Talab A, Rahman QS, Rahman AF, Arifeen SE, et al. Fatal and non-fatal injury outcomes: results from a purposively sampled census of seven rural subdistricts in Bangladesh. Lancet Glob Health. 2017;5:e818–27. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(17)30244-9 28716352

45. Chowdhury MZI, Anik AM, Farhana Z, Bristi PD, Abu Al Mamun BM, Uddin MJ, et al. Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Bangladesh: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the studies. BMC Public Health. 2018;18:308. doi: 10.1186/s12889-018-5209-z 29499672

46. Misra A, Tandon N, Ebrahim S, Sattar N, Alam D, Shrivastava U, et al. Diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and chronic kidney disease in South Asia: current status and future directions. BMJ. 2017;357:j1420. doi: 10.1136/bmj.j1420 28400361

47. Kuhn R, Barham T, Razzaque A. Out of sight but not out of sample: insights from a large-scale migrant followup survey in rural Bangladesh [abstract]. 28th International Population Conference; 2017 Oct 29–Nov 4; Cape Town, South Africa. Available from: https://iussp.confex.com/iussp/ipc2017/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/6705.

48. Martin P. The GCM and temporary labor migration. Glob Soc Policy. 2018;18:339–42. doi: 10.1177/1468018118799010


Článek vyšel v časopise

PLOS Medicine


2020 Číslo 3
Nejčtenější tento týden
Nejčtenější v tomto čísle
Kurzy

Zvyšte si kvalifikaci online z pohodlí domova

Důležitost adherence při depresivním onemocnění
nový kurz
Autoři: MUDr. Eliška Bartečková, Ph.D.

Koncepce osteologické péče pro gynekology a praktické lékaře
Autoři: MUDr. František Šenk

Sekvenční léčba schizofrenie
Autoři: MUDr. Jana Hořínková, Ph.D.

Hypertenze a hypercholesterolémie – synergický efekt léčby
Autoři: prof. MUDr. Hana Rosolová, DrSc.

Multidisciplinární zkušenosti u pacientů s diabetem
Autoři: Prof. MUDr. Martin Haluzík, DrSc., prof. MUDr. Vojtěch Melenovský, CSc., prof. MUDr. Vladimír Tesař, DrSc.

Všechny kurzy
Přihlášení
Zapomenuté heslo

Zadejte e-mailovou adresu, se kterou jste vytvářel(a) účet, budou Vám na ni zaslány informace k nastavení nového hesla.

Přihlášení

Nemáte účet?  Registrujte se