Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Volume 12, Issue 1, 2010, Pages 24-32

A Health Behaviour Cross-Sectional Study of Immigrants and Non-immigrants in a Swiss Urban General-Practice Setting (Article)

Bodenmann P.* , Cornuz J. , Vaucher P. , Ghali W. , Daeppen J.-B. , Favrat B.
  • a Department of Ambulatory Care and Community Medicine, University Outpatient Clinic, Bugnon 44, Lausanne 1011, Switzerland
  • b Department of Ambulatory Care and Community Medicine, University Outpatient Clinic, Bugnon 44, Lausanne 1011, Switzerland
  • c Department of Ambulatory Care and Community Medicine, University Outpatient Clinic, Bugnon 44, Lausanne 1011, Switzerland
  • d Department of Medicine and Public Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
  • e Alcohol Treatment Centre, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
  • f Department of Ambulatory Care and Community Medicine, University Outpatient Clinic, Bugnon 44, Lausanne 1011, Switzerland

Abstract

Background Little is known about smoking, unhealthy use of alcohol, and risk behaviours for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in immigrants from developed and developing countries. Method We performed a cross-sectional study of 400 patients who consulted an academic emergency care centre at a Swiss university hospital. The odds ratios for having one or more risk behaviours were adjusted for age, gender, and education level. Results Immigrants from developing countries were less likely to use alcohol in an unhealthy manner (OR = 0.35, 95% CI 0.22-0.57) or practise risk behaviours for STDs (OR = 0.31, 95% CI 0.13-0.74). They were also less likely to have any of the three studied risk behaviours (OR = 2.5, 95% CI 1.5-4.3). Discussion In addition to the usual determinants, health behaviours are also associated with origin; distinguishing between immigrants from developing and developed countries is useful in clinical settings. Surprisingly, patients from developing countries tend to possess several protective characteristics. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

Author Keywords

Immigration Health behaviours Unhealthy alcohol use Sexually transmitted diseases smoking

Index Keywords

general practice urban population human Health Behavior middle aged ethnology sexually transmitted disease Cross-Sectional Studies Sexually Transmitted Diseases Young Adult cross-sectional study Humans male Emigrants and Immigrants female Article high risk behavior Risk-Taking adult migration Switzerland Family Practice
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-77649232768&doi=10.1007%2fs10903-008-9148-0&partnerID=40&md5=6e3dd289acf8c7e5dcf673e946fd09d3
DOI: 10.1007/s10903-008-9148-0
ISSN: 15571912
Cited by: 6
Original Language: English