Ethnic differences in self-rated and functional health: does immigrant status matter?

The current study examines self-rated health status and functional health differences between first-generation immigrant and Canadian-born (CB) persons who share the same ethnocultural origin, and the extent to which such differences reflect social structural and health-related behavioural contexts. Multivariate analyses of data from the 2000/2001 Canadian Community Health Survey indicate that first-generation immigrants of Black and French ethnicity tend to have better health than their CB counterparts, while the opposite is true for those of South Asian and Chinese origins, providing evidence that for these groups, immigrant status matters. West Asians and Arabs and other Asian groups are advantaged in health regardless of country of birth. Health differences between ethnic foreign-born and CB persons generally converge after controlling for sociodemographic, socioeconomic status (SES), and lifestyle factors. Analysis of the data does however reveal extensive ethnocultural disparities in self-rated and functional health within both the immigrant and CB populations. Implications for health care policy and programme development are discussed.