Health-related quality of life among migrants and natives in Hamburg, Germany: An observational study

PURPOSE: The aim of this observational study was firstly, to assess the Health-related Quality of Life (HrQoL) among migrants and German natives in Hamburg, Germany, using the SF-12 mental and physical summary scores and secondly, to evaluate the contribution of selected sociodemographic and socioeconomic variables to explain the variance in mental and physical HrQoL separately for migrants and natives. METHODS: Face-to-face interviews were conducted with n=809 participants between May 2018 and July 2019 in six randomly selected statistical districts of Hamburg grouped into four levels of socioeconomic status (SES). The SF-12 questionnaire was used to measure the HrQoL. Socioeconomic (school education, income) and sociodemographic (age, gender, marital status, children) data was recorded, too. RESULTS: Migrants and natives scored higher in mental (migrants: M=45.77, SD=7.66; natives: M=47.60, SD=6.14) than in physical HrQoL (migrants: M=42.55, SD=5.55; natives: M=42.03, SD=4.71). Natives had a significantly higher (p<0.001) SF-12 mental summary score than migrants. There was a positive association between education and mental HrQoL (β=0.248, p=2.308) in the migrant but not in the native group. Due to limitations of the study the results of the impact of migration on the HrQoL require interpretation. CONCLUSION: Differences between migrants and German natives in HrQoL were partially confirmed. Future research should differentiate more strongly between migration contexts as well as other determinants of health (e.g. early life, social support, unemployment) and their policy implications according to the WHO.