THE HEALTH TRAJECTORY OF OLDER IMMIGRANTS IN CANADA: FINDINGS FROM THE CANADIAN LONGITUDINAL STUDY ON AGING
2024

Health Trajectory of Older Immigrants in Canada

Sample size: 21480 publication

Author Information

Author(s): Li Lun, Wister Andrew, Lee Yeonjung

Primary Institution: MacEwan University

Hypothesis

The health trajectory of older immigrants in Canada will show differences compared to Canada-born older adults over a ten-year period.

Conclusion

Older immigrants in Canada have better physical health than their Canada-born counterparts but experience a greater decline in physical health over ten years.

Supporting Evidence

  • Older immigrants report better physical health than Canada-born older adults.
  • Older immigrants experience a greater decline in physical health over ten years.
  • Older immigrants report similar levels of depression and loneliness compared to Canada-born older adults.
  • Older immigrants have significantly lower levels of social wellbeing.

Takeaway

Older immigrants in Canada start off healthier than those born in Canada, but they get less healthy over time.

Methodology

The study used three waves of data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging and analyzed it using Linear Mixed Models.

Participant Demographics

The study included 21,480 older adults aged 65 and older, with 4,248 being immigrants and 17,232 being Canada-born.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1093/geroni/igae098.4278

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