Investigating differences in cancer incidence between immigrants and non-immigrants: A population-based study from 1992-2015 using Statistics Canada data

Cancer continues to be a contributing factor to Canada’s healthcare burden and has large impacts on quality of life and survival. While Canada has a public healthcare system, there are different challenges faced by those born outside of the country, and it is important to study any disparities in cancer outcomes to offer more equitable solutions. The research performed for this thesis aimed to investigate the differences in cancer incidence between immigrants and non-immigrants in Canada. Using Statistics Canada data and linking of the 1991 Census, Canadian Cancer Registry, and Canadian Vital Statistics database, a cohort was followed from 1992-2015 to calculate the odds ratios and hazard ratios of cancer incidence for immigrants and non-immigrants. The results support previous research in the field, specifically the existence of a healthy immigrant effect where immigrants have lower odds of developing cancer incidence in comparison to their Canadian-born counterparts. Results also show this effect decreases over time spent in the country, aligning with previous research. This study demonstrates the complexity of this phenomenon and suggests some factors that contribute to the healthy immigrant effect after controlling for various demographic and socioeconomic factors in the regression models. These results contribute to this area of research and also highlights the need for future studies to examine individual-level health behaviours and other factors that impact the differences in cancer incidence between immigrants and non-immigrants in Canada.