Migrants born overseas are more likely to be affected by long-term health issues than people born in Australia, according to new health data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

Settlers from the United Kingdom and Southern and Eastern Europe in particular are at highest risk for the majority of conditions identified in the data.

ABS data reveals that migrants born overseas are more likely to be affected by long-term health issues

With the exception of asthma, blindness, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hay fever and allergic rhinitis, and mental and behavioural problems, generally a higher percentage of migrants suffer from long-term health conditions.

But, overall, the lifestyle characteristics of migrants tend to be healthier or generally relatively similar to that of those born in Australia, according to the ABS’ 2015 National Health Survey.

Specifically, migrants from North Africa and the Middle East and Southern and Eastern Europe are at higher risk than those who are Australian-born in terms of mental and behavioural problems, with 19.0 per cent and 21.1 per cent respectively, in comparison with 18.9 per cent of native-born Australians.

Serious health issues such as heart, stroke and vascular disease affects more overseas-born than Australian, at 5.9 per cent in comparison to 5.0 per cent.

In particular, migrants from the United Kingdom (10.9 per cent), Other North-West Europe (11.3 per cent), and Southern and Eastern Europe (11.5 percent) are at the greatest risk and all more than twice as likely than Australian-born people to be affected by these conditions.

In terms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, although those born in Australia have a higher percentage in total, migrants from United Kingdom (4.3%), Southern and Eastern Europe (4.4%) and the Americas (3.9%) are all at greater risk than Australian born at 2.7%.

People born in Australia are slightly more likely to be affected by cancer than those born overseas, at 1.7 per cent comparison with 1.4 per cent. However, migrants from the United Kingdom (2.1 per cent), Other North-West Europe (2.6 per cent), Southern and Eastern Europe (3.4 per cent) are all more likely than Australian natives to suffer from the disease.

The ABS figures show that migrants from the United Kingdom and Southern and Eastern Europe are most at risk from health problems.

These migrants are more likely to suffer from long-term health conditions than Australian-born in every disease, except asthma.

When examining health risk factors of migrants from the United Kingdom, it can be seen that these migrants have a larger percentage than Australian born for exceeding 2009 NHMRC lifetime risk guidelines, overweight/obesity, inadequate vegetable consumption and high blood pressure.

Furthermore, migrants from the United Kingdom also have a larger percentage for daily smoking, 2009 NHMRC lifetime and single occasion risk guidelines, overweight/obesity and high blood pressure than the total per cent of overseas born.

Migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa appear to be less likely to suffer from long-term health conditions than Australians, according to the data, with diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis and short-sightedness being the only diseases Sub-Saharan African migrants are at greater risk of than Australian-born.

In regard to lifestyle characteristics, it is evident that migrants from Southern and Eastern Europe (80.7 per cent), North Africa and the Middle East (81.9 per cent), and Southern and Central Asia (73.7 per cent) have the highest percentages of no/low exercise. This contributes to the total overseas born percentage of no/low exercise being higher than that of Australian born, at 68.8 per cent in comparison to 65 per cent.

However, the proportion of overweight/obese is higher for Australian born people than total overseas born, at 64.7 per cent in comparison to 60.6 per cent. The difference in proportions of people with inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption does not differ drastically between overseas and Australian-born.

Migrant characteristics in terms of alcohol consumption seem to be drastically lower than Australian-born.

Among Australian-born people 20 per cent exceeding the 2009 AHMRC lifetime risk guidelines, while  just 11 per cent of overseas-born people exceed the limit, with migrants from Southern and Eastern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, South-East Asia, North-East Asia, Southern and Central Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa all under 10 per cent. The only outlier is migrants from the UK with 24.3 per cent exceeding the risk guidelines.

Laurie Nowell
AMES Australia Senior Journalist