Multiple disadvantage of older migrants and native Dutch older adults in deprived neighbourhoods in Amsterdam, the Netherlands: a life course perspective

Abstract

It is commonly suggested that older nonWestern migrants have a higher risk of experiencing multiple forms of disadvantage than native older adults. However, few researchers have studied the life situation and urban conditions of older migrants in relation to each other and in comparison to native older adults with a similar socioeconomic status. This paper investigates whether different groups of older nonWestern migrants (of Surinamese, Moroccan and Turkish origin) in deprived neighbourhoods in Amsterdam experience similar or different levels of multiple disadvantage compared to socioeconomically similar native Dutch older residents living in the same neighbourhoods, and explores how multiple disadvantage can be explained in relation to life and residential histories and neighbourhood changes. Analysis of 85 in-depth interviews indicates that all categories of lowincome older adults experienced certain levels of disadvantage, although they evaluated their circumstances using different frames of reference. Regarding health, both native-born and migrant older people experienced chronic illness. However, the results of this study suggest that those in the latter group (especially Moroccans and Turks) experienced health problems and related functional limitations at a younger age. Native Dutch older adults were somewhat better off with respect to the availability of household resources, but compared to older nonWestern migrants were more likely to experience the negative effects of neighbourhood deprivation. In summary, this study refines common assertions that older migrants are more disadvantaged than native older adults. Differences in experiences of advantage and disadvantage have their origin in differences in life and residential histories and neighbourhood change.

Development of Measures of Perceived Neighborhood Environmental Attributes Influencing, and Perceived Barriers to Engagement in, Healthy Behaviors for Older Chinese Immigrants to Australia

“…The questionnaires developed in the present study include many items that capture aspects of the neighborhood environment, barriers, and facilitators that are relevant to any population of (not only) older adults (e.g., lack of health, time, access to services), some that are particularly relevant to older immigrants in general and others that are idiosyncratic of older Chinese immigrants to Western English-speaking countries. For example, the NEHA-CIA subscale gauging perceived public transport convenience, affordability, and ease of use is bound to be particularly relevant to most groups of older migrants from developing to developed countries because they are less likely to drive [ 73 , 74 , 75 ] and often hesitate to rely on their working adult children for transportation purposes [ 21 , 73 ]. The same holds for items assessing the availability of free Wi-Fi and public housing for the elderly given that older immigrants are often among the most socially disadvantaged groups and financially dependent on their family [ 76 , 77 ].…”

Conducting Empirical Research With Older Migrants: Methodological and Ethical Issues

“…The vast majority of studies among older migrants do provide information about the age that is used as a marker of being old and which generation and ethnicity the population of interest belongs to. We observe that an age of 50 or 55 is commonly set as cutoff point, with the rationale that migrants tend to exhibit poorer physical and mental health in their earlier life stages based on their living and working conditions ( van der Greft & Droogleever Fortuijn, 2017 ; Kristiansen et al, 2016 ) and thus feel older at a younger age than older adults without a migration background.…”

Perspectives of older women in the Netherlands: identifying motivators and barriers for healthy lifestyles and determinants of healthy aging

“…The latter are two large migration groups in the Netherlands and were therefore selected to be part of this study. Since migrant adults have an earlier onset of physical decline compared to non-migrant adults, an age range of 55 years and older was chosen to include older Dutch, Turkish-Dutch and Moroccan-Dutch women with (some) decline in physical functioning, while they still have (the most) years to gain from preventive strategies [26,27]. Women across different age groups and educational levels were included.…”