2026-2030 | FWO PhD Project
Migration is a crucial demographic factor radically reshaping Europe's population. In Belgium, migrants and their descendants form a rapidly growing share of the population, yet longitudinal research into their health trajectories remains remarkably scarce. This results in a lack of crucial insight into how inequalities in morbidity and mortality arise, evolve, and whether or not they converge with those of non-migrants. This knowledge gap is particularly pressing given the paradox that migrants often have lower overall mortality rates despite an increased risk of chronic diseases. MORBIMIG addresses this gap by using, for the first time in Belgium, large-scale longitudinal data links between national population registers, census data, and morbidity data from Intego, a highquality Flemish GP network. By applying state-of-the-art event history and multistate models, differences in disease incidence, mortality, and survival after diagnosis are systematically quantified. Decomposition techniques further separate differences in disease incidence, mortality and survival, clarifying underlying mechanisms of health inequalities. By stratifying according to migration wave, country of origin, generation and socioeconomic position, MORBIMIG identifies when health benefits disappear and disadvantages develop cumulatively. The findings will fill key evidence gaps and provide robust empirical guidance for targeted prevention, screening, and care strategies for diverse populations.
