Migration Status and Prevalence of Chronic Diseases in Kerala State, India

Aim. To study the relationship between a personal history of migration and prevalence of chronic diseases and risk factors in a rural population. Method. Cross sectional survey data from PROLIFE, a cohort study involving the long time follow-up of the residents of an administrative unit in Kerala, India, was used. Pre-tested questionnaire was administered to 78,173 adult residents. Information on physician diagnosed diabetes, hypertension, and cardiac diseases and lifestyle attributes like physical activity, habits, and migration was captured. Results. Subjects with a history of migration had a higher prevalence of chronic disease when compared with those with no history of migration. Diabetes (19.6% versus 4.1%), hypertension (18.8% versus 6.6%), and cardiac complaints (8.6% versus 4.1%) are more prevalent among those with history of migration of over 5 years. After adjustment for age, gender, and education, we found that chronic diseases are higher among persons with a history of migration (OR 2.2, 95% CI: 2.1–2.3). Age-specific increases in prevalence of chronic diseases are also substantially higher among migrants. Conclusion. People with a history of migration have a higher prevalence of chronic diseases and risk factors. 1. Introduction Migration is a process of social change during which people move from one cultural setting to another in order to settle for a longer period of time or permanently [1]. Though migration has been occurring since the beginning of time, the advent of the era of globalization has resulted in the increased movement of people across and within national boundaries for various reasons. The social, cultural, financial, and other aspects of migration have been the focus of much research and many new policies initiated as a result. The relationship between migration and health has also been well explored. However, there is a lack of consistency among studies of migration and health with results indicating both higher and lower prevalence of diseases among migrants in relation to the residents [1–9]. The health status of return migrants, migrants, who have returned to their place of origin, has not been the focus of much research. A study from Mexico had previously reported on the disadvantages faced by the return migrants [10]. More research is needed in this area as the health status of the return migrants may be much different from that of the resident community. In this exploratory study, we address this information gap by studying a rural community in the south Indian state of Kerala which has a long history of migration.