Health-Related Disparities among Migrant Children at School Entry in Germany. How does the Definition of Migration Status Matter?

Amand Führer, Daniel Tiller, Patrick Brzoska, Marie Korn, Christine Gröger and Andreas Wienke
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Amand Führer: Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Medical Epidemiology, Biometrics and Informatics, 06112 Halle (Saale), Germany
Daniel Tiller: Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Medical Epidemiology, Biometrics and Informatics, 06112 Halle (Saale), Germany
Patrick Brzoska: Health Services Research Unit, Faculty of Health, School of Medicine, Witten/Herdecke University, 58448 Witten, Germany
Marie Korn: Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Medical Epidemiology, Biometrics and Informatics, 06112 Halle (Saale), Germany
Christine Gröger: Public Health Department, City of Halle (Saale), 06112 Halle, Germany
Andreas Wienke: Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Institute of Medical Epidemiology, Biometrics and Informatics, 06112 Halle (Saale), Germany

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 17, issue 1, 1-16

Abstract: Background : Migration background is known to be an important risk factor for a number of medical outcomes. Still, relatively little is known about the epidemiologic relevance of different definitions of migration status. Methods : Data from 5250 school entry examinations spanning three consecutive years (2015–2017) were gathered from the Public Health Department in Halle, Germany. Data were stratified according to six different migration statuses and evaluated for differences in health service utilization and developmental outcomes. Results : Compared to non-migrant children, migrant children have a lower utilization of preventative services, and higher frequencies of developmental delays. Children with first-generation migration background consistently show results worse than all others, while children with one-sided second-generation migration background show results similar to those of their non-migrant peers. These findings are not substantially altered by adjustment for social status. Conclusions : Children with first-generation migration background should receive special attention in school entry examinations, since they constitute a group with consistently higher health risks compared to other groups of preschoolers.

Keywords: migration background; school entry examination; first-generation migration background; one-sided migration background; biopolitics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2019:i:1:p:212-:d:302635

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