Mortality differentials between three populations--residents of Scandinavia, Scandinavian immigrants to Canada and Canadian-born residents of Canada, 1979-1985.

The study compares the mortality of Canadian residents born in Canada and Scandinavia (Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark) to the mortality of the four Scandinavian countries. The study focuses on the mortality experience of anyone who was 35-74 years old during the period 1979-85. Swedish and Norwegian populations both in Scandinavia as well as immigrants to Canada had relatively low mortality from all causes of death. On the other hand, populations in Finland and Denmark had comparatively higher mortality from certain causes of death. Finnish excess mortality from cardiovascular diseases and from external causes of death was present in Finnish living in Scandinavia as well as in Finnish immigrants to Canada. This contrasted with the excess mortality from non-cardiovascular disease in the population of Denmark which was not reflected in the mortality of Danish immigrants to Canada. Finally, the cardiovascular mortality of all Scandinavian-born immigrants to Canada was found to be lower than in their respective countries of origin. The article includes a discussion of possible explanations for these results.