scholarly journals The Health Status and Healthcare Utilization of Ethnic Germans in Russia

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 166
Author(s):  
Charlotte Arena ◽  
Christine Holmberg ◽  
Volker Winkler ◽  
Philipp Jaehn
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Former Soviet Union ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Subjective Health ◽  
Minority Populations ◽  
German Population ◽  
Majority Population ◽  
Ethnic Germans ◽  
Monitoring Survey ◽  
Migrant Groups

Ethnic German resettlers from the former Soviet Union are one of the largest migrant groups in Germany. In comparison with the majority of the German population, resettlers exhibit worse subjective health and utilize fewer preventive measures. However, there is little evidence on health among ethnic Germans who remained in Russia. Hence, the objective of this study was to determine the differences in subjective health, diabetes, smoking, and utilization of health check-ups between ethnic Germans and the majority population in Russia. We used data from the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey II from 1994 to 2018 (general population of Russia n = 41,675, ethnic Germans n = 158). Multilevel logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) adjusted for age, sex, period, and place of residence. Analyses were furthermore stratified by the periods 1994–2005 and 2006–2018. Ethnic Germans in Russia rated their health less often as good compared with the Russian majority population (OR = 0.67, CI = 0.48–0.92). Furthermore, ethnic Germans were more likely to smoke after 2006 (OR = 1.91, CI = 1.09–3.37). Lower subjective health among ethnic Germans in Russia is in line with findings among minority populations in Europe. Increased odds of smoking after 2006 may indicate the deteriorating risk behavior of ethnic Germans in Russia.

scholarly journals Migration pattern and mortality of ethnic German migrants from the former Soviet Union: a cohort study in Germany

BMJ Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. e019213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Kaucher ◽  
Andreas Deckert ◽  
Heiko Becher ◽  
Volker Winkler
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Poisson Regression ◽  
Former Soviet Union ◽  
Migration Pattern ◽  
German Population ◽  
Federal States ◽  
All Cause Mortality ◽  
Specific Mortality ◽  
Retrospective Cohort Studies ◽  
Legislative Changes

ObjectiveWe aimed to investigate all-cause and cause-specific mortality among ethnic German migrants from the former Soviet Union by different immigration periods to describe associations with migration pattern and mortality.DesignWe used pooled data from three retrospective cohort studies in Germany.ParticipantsEthnic German migrants from the former Soviet Union (called resettlers), who immigrated to Germany since 1990 to the federal states North Rhine-Westphalia and Saarland and to the region of Augsburg (n=59 390).OutcomeAll-cause and cause-specific mortality among resettlers in comparison to the general German population, separated by immigration period.MethodsImmigration periods were defined following legislative changes in German immigration policy (1990–1992, 1993–1995, 1996+). Resettlers’ characteristics were described accordingly. To investigate mortality differences by immigration period, we calculated age-standardised mortality rates (ASRs) and standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) of resettlers in comparison to the general German population. Additionally, we modelled sex-specific ASRs with Poisson regression, using age, year and immigration period as independent variables.ResultsThe composition of resettlers differed by immigration period. Since 1993, the percentage of resettlers from the Russian Federation and non-German spouses increased. Higher all-cause mortality was found among resettlers who immigrated in 1996 and after (ASR 628.1, 95% CI 595.3 to 660.8), compared with resettlers who immigrated before 1993 (ASR 561.8, 95% CI 537.2 to 586.4). SMR analysis showed higher all-cause mortality among resettler men from the last immigration period compared with German men (SMR 1.11, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.19), whereas resettlers who immigrated earlier showed lower all-cause mortality. Results from Poisson regression, adjusted for age and year, corroborated those findings.ConclusionsMortality differences by immigration period suggest different risk-factor patterns and possibly deteriorated integration opportunities. Health policy should guard the consequences of immigration law alterations with respect to changing compositions of migrant groups and their health status.

scholarly journals The Incidence of Intestinal Gastric Cancer among Resettlers in Germany—Do Resettlers Remain at an Elevated Risk in Comparison to the General Population?

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (24) ◽  
pp. 9215
Author(s):  
Anna Lindblad ◽  
Simone Kaucher ◽  
Philipp Jaehn ◽  
Hiltraud Kajüter ◽  
Bernd Holleczek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gastric Cancer ◽  
Soviet Union ◽  
General Population ◽  
Former Soviet Union ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Negative Binomial Regression ◽  
German Population ◽  
Pooled Data ◽  
Disease Pattern ◽  
Over Time

Objective: Previous studies have shown that the incidence of gastric cancer (GC), and particularly intestinal GC, is higher among resettlers from the former Soviet Union (FSU) than in the general German population. Our aim was to investigate if the higher risk remains over time. Methods: GC cases between 1994 and 2013, in a cohort of 32,972 resettlers, were identified by the respective federal cancer registry. Age-standardized rates (ASRs) and standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were analyzed in comparison to the general population for GC subtypes according to the Laurén classification. Additionally, the cohort was pooled with data from a second resettler cohort from Saarland to investigate time trends using negative binomial regression. Results: The incidence of intestinal GC was elevated among resettlers in comparison to the general population (SIR (men) 1.64, 95% CI: 1.09–2.37; SIR (women) 1.91, 95% CI: 1.15–2.98). The analysis with the pooled data confirmed an elevated SIR, which was stable over time. Conclusion: Resettlers’ higher risk of developing intestinal GC does not attenuate towards the incidence in the general German population. Dietary and lifestyle patterns might amplify the risk of GC, and we believe that further investigation of risk behaviors is needed to better understand the development of disease pattern among migrants.

Germany as a Kin-State: The Development and Implementation of a Norm-Consistent External Minority Policy towards Central and Eastern Europe

2007 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 289-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl Cordell ◽  
Stefan Wolff
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Cold War ◽  
Soviet Union ◽  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Former Soviet Union ◽  
Central And Eastern Europe ◽  
Federal Republic Of Germany ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
Ethnic Germans ◽  
The Cold War

Germany's role as a kin-state of ethnic German minorities in Central and Eastern Europe stems from a number of factors. At one level it is part and parcel of a unique historical legacy. It is also inextricably linked with the country's foreign policy towards this region. The most profound policy that the Federal Republic of Germany developed in this context after the early 1960s was Ostpolitik, which contributed significantly to the peaceful end of the Cold War, but has remained relevant thereafter despite a fundamentally changed geopolitical context, as Germany remains a kin-state for hundreds of thousands of ethnic Germans across Central and Eastern Europe, particularly in the former Soviet Union, in Poland, Romania, and Hungary. As such, a policy towards these external minorities continues to form a significant, but by no means the only, manifestation of Ostpolitik.

scholarly journals Genetic Variation and Cardiovascular Risk Factors: A Cohort Study on Migrants from the Former Soviet Union and a Native German Population

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 6215
Author(s):  
Marianne Huebner ◽  
Daniela Börnigen ◽  
Andreas Deckert ◽  
Rolf Holle ◽  
Christa Meisinger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Soviet Union ◽  
Former Soviet Union ◽  
Smoking Behavior ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Genetic Differences ◽  
Joint Analysis ◽  
German Population ◽  
Physical Examinations ◽  
Study Population

Resettlers are a large migrant group of more than 2 million people in Germany who migrated mainly from the former Soviet Union to Germany after 1989. We sought to compare the distribution of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and to investigate the overall genetic differences in a study population which consisted of resettlers and native (autochthone) Germans. This was a joint analysis of two cohort studies which were performed in the region of Augsburg, Bavaria, Germany, with 3363 native Germans and 363 resettlers. Data from questionnaires and physical examinations were used to compare the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases between the resettlers and native Germans. A population-based genome-wide association analysis was performed in order to identify the genetic differences between the two groups. The distribution of the major risk factors for CVD differed between the two groups. The resettlers lead a less active lifestyle. While female resettlers smoked less than their German counterparts, the men showed similar smoking behavior. SNPs from three genes (BTNL2, DGKB, TGFBR3) indicated a difference in the two populations. In other studies, these genes have been shown to be associated with CVD, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis, respectively.

scholarly journals Tuberculosis screening of Aussiedler at the Friedland border immigration centre, Germany

2004 ◽  
Vol 8 (18) ◽  
Author(s):  
F Feil ◽  
J Dreesman ◽  
I Steffens
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Ethnic Minorities ◽  
Former Soviet Union ◽  
Lower Saxony ◽  
Tuberculosis Screening ◽  
Ethnic Germans

The Friedland immigration centre in Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony) is the central primary immigration centre for Aussiedler. The term Aussiedler refers to ethnic Germans who live as ethnic minorities in the former Soviet Union

scholarly journals Aussiedler Mortality (AMOR): cohort studies on ethnic German migrants from the Former Soviet Union

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. e024865 ◽  
Author(s):  
Volker Winkler ◽  
Simone Kaucher ◽  
Andreas Deckert ◽  
Valentina Leier ◽  
Bernd Holleczek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Cohort Studies ◽  
Former Soviet Union ◽  
International Classification Of Diseases ◽  
German Population ◽  
Migrant Group ◽  
Mortality And Morbidity ◽  
Federal States ◽  
Classification Of Diseases ◽  
Set Up

PurposeThe Aussiedler Mortality cohorts represent the unique migrant group of ethnic Germans (resettlers) from the former Soviet Union who migrated to Germany mainly after the fall of the iron curtain in 1989. Resettlers are the second largest migrant group in Germany and their health status was largely unknown before the cohorts were set up.ParticipantsFour retrospective register-based cohorts were set up in different federal states of Germany, each focussing on different health aspects. In total, the cohorts include 92 362 resettlers (men: 51.5%, women: 48.5%) who immigrated between 1990 and 2005 with a mean age at immigration of 36.6 years (range 0–105 years). Resettlers are of German ancestry and they are immediately granted the German citizenship with all rights and duties.Findings to dateVital status and causes of death (International Classification of Diseases codes based on death certificates or record linkage) were collected for three cohorts as well as cancer incidence and incidence of acute myocardial infarction in three of the cohorts. Currently, an observation period of 20 years (1990–2009) is covered. Overall mortality among resettlers was surprisingly lower in comparison to the German population with standardised mortality ratios of 0.87 (95% confidence limits 0.84–0.91) for women and 0.96 (0.92–0.99) for men, and even stronger for cardiovascular diseases (women: 0.84 (0.79–0.89); men: 0.80 (0.75–0.86). However, observed differences can neither be explained by the ‘healthy migrant effect’ nor by common behavioural risk factors and may be related to factors which have not yet been studied.Future plansThe existing cohorts will be continued and prospective studies on resettlers are underway: one cohort will be followed-up prospectively and two other large prospective cohort studies in Germany will be used for a detailed assessment of lifestyle, environmental and genetic/epigenetic factors on the mortality and morbidity pattern of resettlers.

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