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Salmon Bias effect and cancer care disparities in immigrants – African Diaspora Cancer Network

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Dec 20, 2024, 15:24

Salmon Bias effect and cancer care disparities in immigrants – African Diaspora Cancer Network

African Diaspora Cancer Network shared a post on LinkedIn:

“How does the Salmon Bias effect contribute to cancer care disparities among the Immigrant population?

The salmon bias effect is a phenomenon observed in public health and demographic studies, including cancer care disparities. It refers to the hypothesis that certain populations, particularly immigrants, may return to their place of origin when they become seriously ill or near the end of life.

This ‘return migration’ can lead to a misleading underestimation of mortality rates or disease burden in the host country, as these individuals are no longer part of the observed population.

I had a substantial discussion today with Tingting Zhang on this phenomenon.

Immigrants who leave the host country to die in their country of origin may not have their deaths recorded in the host country. This skews cancer survival statistics, making it seem like the immigrant population has better outcomes than it actually does.

The salmon bias may reflect disparities in access to adequate cancer care. Immigrants facing barriers such as language, financial constraints, discrimination and lack of insurance may choose to return to their home country for end-of-life care, where they might feel more culturally and emotionally supported.

The salmon bias effect complicates studies on cancer disparities. It necessitates careful interpretation of cancer-related mortality and survival data in immigrant populations. Without accounting for this effect, researchers may underestimate the health inequities faced by these groups.

How can we address this effect?

Improved tracking and follow-up of immigrant health outcomes, even after they leave the host country.
Understanding and addressing barriers to care to reduce the need for return migration due to inadequate cancer services.
Incorporating culturally competent care practices to make cancer care more accessible and acceptable for immigrant populations.

These are the considerations that birthed the African Diaspora Cancer Network.

Thank you Tingting Zhang for this exposition and for the great work you are doing at Hear2Care.”

More posts featuring Tingting Zhang.

Tingting Zhang is the Founder of Hear2Care and Onconomics Inc., and the Chief Executive Officer of ONEiHEALTH.

Her specialities include patient-focused decision support, healthcare data integration, disease modelling and simulation, knowledge/data mining, biomarker rationales, preclinical and clinical data analyses, competitive information, due diligence, risk assessment, patient advocacy, and nonprofit management.