Do Migrants Have a Mortality Disadvantage in the Care Setting? Living Arrangement and Mortality among Elderly Migrants in Sweden before and during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Eleonora Mussino, Stockholm University
Karin Modig, Karolinska Institutet
Anna C. Meyer, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska institutet
Sol Juarez, Lund University
Gunnar Andersson, Stockholm University
Sven Drefahl , Stockholm University

This study examines the relationship between migration status and COVID-19 mortality outcomes in Sweden, focusing on the elderly demographic in various care settings and living arrangements. Previous research consistently demonstrates that migrants face a higher risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes, a finding that stands in stark contrast to the generally observed migrant mortality advantage. Utilizing Swedish register data for the years between 1990 to 2021, the study stratifies participants aged 70 and above based on care status and origin, adjusting for sociodemographic and health variables. Our preliminary findings underscore the significant role of care status in COVID-19 mortality outcomes, far larger than for other causes of death not related to COVID-19. Our results also reveal higher mortality rates among foreign-born elderly individuals in care settings compared to their native-born counterparts. This contrasts typical mortality trends from non-COVID-19 causes, highlighting a migrant disadvantage during the pandemic. This highlights the complexity of the issue, suggesting that factors beyond care settings contribute to observed inequalities, and necessitates further investigation to fully understand and address these disparities.

See extended abstract

 Presented in Session 69. Mortality Inequalities during the COVID-19 pandemic