Infant mortality and migrant health in babies of Pakistani origin born in Bradford, UK

Abstract

Bradford, in northern England, has attracted migrants since the nineteenth century. The most recent group, from Pakistan, began to arrive in the 1950s. There is now a three-generational Muslim community of Pakistani origin. The interaction of migration, ethnicity and deprivation in Bradford is considered by focusing on infant mortality. This is higher in Bradford than overall UK averages. The highest rates are in babies of first-generation migrant mothers. Migration theory, in particular, macro-economic models explaining choice to migrate, is critically reviewed. In addition to economic factors, family reconstitution is a key motivation for migration. The resulting characteristics of migrants and of the hybrid community they constitute display a complex clustering of risk factors relevant to infant health. An understanding of individual and social characteristics of the migrant community are needed to augment conventional theories of health disadvantage, which do not explain the inequality of life chances evident in this city.