European Journal of Public Health
Volume 25, Issue 6, 2015, Pages 930-936

Effect of country-of-origin contextual factors and length of stay on immigrants substance use in Spain (Article) (Open Access)

Sordo L. , Indave B.I. , Vallejo F. , Belza M.J.* , Sanz-Barbero B. , Rosales-Statkus M. , Fernández-Balbuena S. , Barrio G.
  • a National Epidemiology Center, Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain, Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Spain, Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain
  • b National Epidemiology Center, Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain
  • c National Epidemiology Center, Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain, Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Spain
  • d Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Spain, National School of Public Health, Carlos III Health Institute, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Escuela Nacional de Sanidad, Avenida Monforte de Lemos 5, Madrid, 28029, Spain
  • e Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Spain, National School of Public Health, Carlos III Health Institute, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Escuela Nacional de Sanidad, Avenida Monforte de Lemos 5, Madrid, 28029, Spain
  • f National Epidemiology Center, Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain, Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Spain
  • g National Epidemiology Center, Carlos III Health Institute, Madrid, Spain, Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Spain
  • h National School of Public Health, Carlos III Health Institute, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Escuela Nacional de Sanidad, Avenida Monforte de Lemos 5, Madrid, 28029, Spain

Abstract

Background: Factors explaining disparities in risk of substance use between immigrants and natives and between immigrant subgroups are poorly understood. We aimed to describe such disparities and identify some explanatory factors in Spain. Methods: Participants were residents aged 1564 years from 2005 to 07 nationally representative surveys. Outcomes were prevalences of alcohol, tobacco, sedative-hypnotics, cannabis and other illegal substance use. Immigrants were recent if <5 years of Spanish stay and long term if ≥10 years. Country-of-origin income per capita and population level of substance use were taken from international databases. Adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) and percent change from Poisson regression with robust variance were used to estimate risk disparities and effects of immigration variables. Results: Most immigrants had lower substance use than natives, although it generally increased with increasing Spanish stay, especially for illegal substances. This lower risk could be partially explained by country-of-origin contextual factors as a lower level of income or substance use and religious or cultural factors such as Islam. By origin, recent immigrant aPRs and convergencedivergence risk patterns were, respectively, as follows: lower aPRs with upward convergence (often incomplete) toward natives risk in immigrants from Muslim area, Eastern-Europe and Latin-America excluding South-Cone, lower/ similar aPRs with upward overtaking or divergent patterns in South-Cone Americans and similar/higher aPRs with stable or upward divergent patterns in Non-Eastern-Europeans. Conclusion: Spain is a host context that seems to facilitate increased substance use among immigrants, even those from countries with prevalences close to Spain. However, country-of-origin context is important in explaining disparities in substance use among immigrants. © The Author 2015.

Author Keywords

[No Keywords available]

Index Keywords

health disparity Health Status Disparities human epidemiology middle aged statistics and numerical data time factor Substance-Related Disorders Street Drugs Time Factors street drug alcoholism drug dependence ethnology Young Adult Humans migrant smoking Adolescent male Emigrants and Immigrants Spain female risk factor Risk Factors prevalence adult Poisson distribution
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84958158402&doi=10.1093%2feurpub%2fckv144&partnerID=40&md5=115e06a5f9724c62ebc27a78dcf63793
DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckv144
ISSN: 11011262
Cited by: 6
Original Language: English