Understanding the Roles of Origin and Destination: Behavioral Patterns and Health among the First and Second Generation of Finnish Migrants in Sweden

As migrants interact with the native population their behavioral patterns adapt. This in turn shapes the health of migrants through changes in health behaviors established before migration. The health of migrants is thus related to factors both in the country of origin and destination.

However, most data sets are collected in a national context, limiting studies to examine factors only at the destination.The aim of the project is to investigate how social, geographic and demographic processes shape the health of Finnish migrants in Sweden.

The high-quality register data available in both countries will be used to compare the first and second generation of Finnish migrants to relevant reference groups in both the country of origin and destination.

The project will focus on morbidity and mortality related to alcohol, smoking and cardiovascular diseases and examine several conditions shaping the interaction between migrants and natives, including the proportion of Finns in the municipality, duration of residence and intermarriage.Migrants are a heterogeneous group and no migrant group is representative of all migrants.

Finnish migrants are one of the largest and oldest group of migrants in Sweden and by studying these, the project can identify factors that can guide future research on migrant health.

Due to the rare opportunity to examine factors in both the country of origin and destination, the project can provide both researchers and policy makers with valuable insights.