Abstract
Elderly Turkish migrants in Denmark: Health in a life course perspective
Objective
According to Statistics Denmark, Turkish immigrants constitute the largest immigrant group in Denmark with 1.1% of the population (60,390 people) in 2012. They account for a higher rate of chronic ailments and a higher proportion of self-reported illness and are in higher risk of health problems and morbidity than their Danish counterparts. Furthermore, their health differences increase more by age. The research project aimed at finding possible explanations for these differences among Turkish and ethnic Danish elderly people by studying the every day life of elderly Turkish migrants.
Methods
Qualitative interviews were carried out with 12 Turkish men and 18 women aged 54-80.
The interviews had a focus on their health practices and health perceptions in a life history perspective. The interviews were simoultaneously translated from Turkish, English and Danish by the two interviewers; a medical doctor from Turkey and an ethnologist from Denmark.
Results
The interviews revealed a high level of functional illiteracy, low social and economic status and little language skills except for Turkish. From their life histories, we learned that the interviewees had not only encountered unskilled and physical demanding work, but many of them had experienced very bad and unhealthy living conditions during their stay in Denmark.
Conclusions
A life course approach to the study of Elderly Turkish migrants in Denmark suggests that
the negative health situation among this population, compared to ethnic Danes, is entailed to low socio-economic status and experiences with bad living conditions in Denmark in a life-historical perspective.
Objective
According to Statistics Denmark, Turkish immigrants constitute the largest immigrant group in Denmark with 1.1% of the population (60,390 people) in 2012. They account for a higher rate of chronic ailments and a higher proportion of self-reported illness and are in higher risk of health problems and morbidity than their Danish counterparts. Furthermore, their health differences increase more by age. The research project aimed at finding possible explanations for these differences among Turkish and ethnic Danish elderly people by studying the every day life of elderly Turkish migrants.
Methods
Qualitative interviews were carried out with 12 Turkish men and 18 women aged 54-80.
The interviews had a focus on their health practices and health perceptions in a life history perspective. The interviews were simoultaneously translated from Turkish, English and Danish by the two interviewers; a medical doctor from Turkey and an ethnologist from Denmark.
Results
The interviews revealed a high level of functional illiteracy, low social and economic status and little language skills except for Turkish. From their life histories, we learned that the interviewees had not only encountered unskilled and physical demanding work, but many of them had experienced very bad and unhealthy living conditions during their stay in Denmark.
Conclusions
A life course approach to the study of Elderly Turkish migrants in Denmark suggests that
the negative health situation among this population, compared to ethnic Danes, is entailed to low socio-economic status and experiences with bad living conditions in Denmark in a life-historical perspective.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication date | 30 May 2014 |
| Publication status | Published - 30 May 2014 |
| Event | Turkish Migration Conference: Comparative Perspectives and Continuities - Regent´s College, London, London, United Kingdom Duration: 30 May 2014 → 1 Jun 2014 |
Conference
| Conference | Turkish Migration Conference |
|---|---|
| Location | Regent´s College, London |
| Country/Territory | United Kingdom |
| City | London |
| Period | 30/05/2014 → 01/06/2014 |