Cent Eur J Public Health 2018, 26(2):132-136 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a4917

Impact of migration background on health of children and adolescents in Austria. Results of the Austrian Health Survey 2014

Anja Waxenegger, Hannes Mayerl, Erwin Stolz, Éva Rásky, Wolfgang Freidl
Institute of Social Medicine and Epidemiology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria

Objective: The present study examines the question as to whether the wellbeing of children and adolescents in Austria and the use of vaccination are influenced by migration background.

Methods: The data was extracted from the Austrian Health Survey 2014 (ATHIS 2014). It contains health-related information of 5,277 children and adolescents aged 0 to 17 years. The analysis was based on logistic regression models.

Results: To stem from a migration background had no influence on the assessment of health or the assessment of complaints. Regarding vaccination, the results showed that the children of study participants born in non-EU foreign countries had twice the chance of being vaccinated as the children of Austria-born parents. No difference existed between the children of Austria-born parents and the children of parents born in non-EU countries.

Conclusions: The analysis suggests that children and adolescents with a migration background in Austria are not worse off in terms of their physical wellbeing and vaccination status than children without a migration background. Some thought should, however, be given to the fact that the notion of migration background refers to a heterogenic population. To analyse the risks and chances of children and adolescents from different migrant backgrounds, a more differentiated survey of their migrant background and social situation and a more differentiated survey of health parameters will be required.

Keywords: children's health, adolescents' health, migration background, ATHIS 2014, vaccination

Received: September 5, 2016; Revised: April 13, 2018; Accepted: April 13, 2018; Published: June 30, 2018  Show citation

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Waxenegger A, Mayerl H, Stolz E, Rásky É, Freidl W. Impact of migration background on health of children and adolescents in Austria. Results of the Austrian Health Survey 2014. Cent Eur J Public Health. 2018;26(2):132-136. doi: 10.21101/cejph.a4917. PubMed PMID: 30102502.
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