Education as a social determinant of the health of international migrants and locals in Chile between 2013 and 2022

Background

Education is a recognised social determinant of health and interacts with other determinants including employment and income. International migration may disrupt these interactions. Education in Chile reflects wider socioeconomic inequalities and in the last decade, it has welcomed an increasing number of migrants.

Objective

To analyse education as a social determinant of health among international migrants and locals between 2013 and 2022.

Methods

Observational cross-sectional study based on five versions of the CASEN survey. Education, employment, and income were analysed in relation to healthcare needs for both populations and logistic regression models were estimated for each year. For 2022, the interactions between education and employment were explored in relation to healthcare needs.

Results

International migrants showed a higher education level and employment rate than Chileans, and a smaller proportion reported healthcare needs. After adjusting for demographic and socioeconomic factors, locals aged 19–25 and 26–59 were more likely to report healthcare needs compared to international migrants across multiple years. The effects of education, employment, and income on healthcare needs among locals and international migrants showed fluctuating ORs without marked trends. In 2022, significant differences in healthcare needs were observed among migrants and locals based on interactions between education and employment, with non-overlapping confidence intervals particularly among unemployed, less-educated youth, middle-aged migrants with incomplete basic education, and older individuals.

Conclusions

This study provides an overview of education as a social determinant of health among international migrants and locals for the last decade and call for targeted in-depth analyses on the topic.