1. Agenda item 4.2 Task Force on migrants’ health
ECHIM meeting - March 2010 Eurostat actions related to health indicators
Agenda item Task Force on migrants’ health
Technical Group HIS – March 2011

2. Technical Group HIS – March 2011
ECHIM meeting - March 2010 Eurostat actions related to health indicators
TF on migrants’ health
Set up in 2009
Statistical information on migrants’ health and their access to health services scarce
Purpose
 collect information on if and how different countries collect information on migrants and migrants’ health
preparatory work
outline the situation in Europe
stress issues which need to be solved /dealt with by a subsequent TF to provide methodological guidelines
Technical Group HIS – March 2011

3. Technical Group HIS – March 2011
ECHIM meeting - March 2010 Eurostat actions related to health indicators
Objectives of the TF
Identification for each country
Information collected at national level on migrants and migrants’ health
Definition of migrants
Special modules/questions/instruments for health problems or problems in accessing the health care system that are specific for migrants
Questionnaires/interviewers in different languages
Cross country studies, how MS deal with definitions and country specific characteristics of migrants
 because of time pressure, the TF did not succeed in meeting the last aim
Technical Group HIS – March 2011

4. Technical Group HIS – March 2011
ECHIM meeting - March 2010 Eurostat actions related to health indicators
Overview drafted via a questionnaire
Short questionnaire sent mid-May 2009 to each MS with the aim of compiling an inventory of whether and which population groups are distinguished between in HIS or other surveys including a health module
11 questions …
3 questions clarify whether and which population groups are distinguished in HIS (according to citizenship, country of birth, ethnicity, nationality, citizenship and country of birth of parents etc)
 concrete definitions of those populations (specific instructions in the interview guidelines)
 Yes in 13 MS (out of 23)
Technical Group HIS – March 2011

5. Technical Group HIS – March 2011
ECHIM meeting - March 2010 Eurostat actions related to health indicators
Overview drafted via a questionnaire
11 questions …
Sampling design: possibility to oversample migrants (whatever the definition) / availability of a sampling frame
 sampling frame available (citizenship, country of birth, country of residence)
 few MS oversample
Data analysis: definition of groups of population used for data analysis (i.e.migrant, foreigner, etc)
 no separate study according to citizenship
Technical Group HIS – March 2011

6. Technical Group HIS – March 2011
ECHIM meeting - March 2010 Eurostat actions related to health indicators
Questionnaire
11 questions …
Translation: questionnaires available in different languages (i.e. those spoken in the countries of origin of the most common groups present in the country)
 No in most MS, yes if more than 1 official language, interpreters (EL, SE)
Information in Census to distinguish different migrant groups
Technical Group HIS – March 2011

7. Technical Group HIS – March 2011
ECHIM meeting - March 2010 Eurostat actions related to health indicators
Conclusion of the TF and next step
Need to develop and implement common and comparable definitions for migrants among EU MS
Main problem: sample enough people to produce valid statistics
Remaining question: need a special health module ?
Eurostat TF on definition of migrants (info on country of birth of the parents) set up
 recommendations prepared
DGs more interested in regional aspects than in migrant aspects
 no more work on migrants’ health
Technical Group HIS – March 2011