The healthy immigrant effect and active commuting

This study examines two hypotheses: foreign-born individuals have increased odds of active commuting compared to Canadian-born individuals – a ‘healthy immigrant effect’; and among the foreign-born, there is an inverse association between time since immigration and time spent active commuting – loss of this effect over time. Data was compiled from more than 59,000 individuals from the 2013–2014 cycle of the Canadian Community Health Survey and probability weighted to account for the survey sampling method. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to examine relationships. Four active commuting categories were examined, from none to commuting times sufficient to meet Canadian physical activity guidelines (≥ 150 minutes per week). After adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, and personal income, the odds of active commuting versus none were higher for foreign-born individuals compared to Canadian-born individuals for 75 to < 150 minutes per week (OR= 1.41, 95% CI 1.15, 1.73) and ≥ 150 minutes per week (OR= 1.35, 95% CI 1.06, 1.73). Within the immigrant cohort, the odds of meeting Canadian guidelines were greater for recent immigrants than late immigrants (OR=1.78, 95% CI 1.29, 2.46). These findings show for the first time that recent immigrants have higher levels of active commuting compared with late immigrants in a dose-response pattern. They suggest that there could be missed opportunities to retain active commuters after immigrants arri...

Source: Journal of Transport and Health - July 5, 2018 Category: Occupational Health Source Type: research