Internal migration and depressive symptoms: exploring selection and outcomes in a South African cohort.

Introduction: Investigations of migration effects on mental health conditions, including depression are sparse in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), yet mental health may play a role in a decision to migrate, and migration in turn can impact on mental health outcomes.

Methods: This paper uses two waves of data from the Migrant Health Follow-Up Study, a young adult cohort of 3092 internal migrants and residents of the Agincourt study site in rural northeast South Africa to explore the relationship between internal migration and depressive symptoms, as measured on the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) scale. We employ logistic regression analysis to investigate selectivity of migrants are in relation to depressive symptoms, and we fit generalised linear -models to analyse depressive symptoms (CES-D scores) as a function of migration status and sociodemographic and health characteristics, accounting for temporal sequence.

Do Migrants Exhibit More Grit? A Research Note.

Strong expectations exist for the selectivity of migration along key demographic characteristics, such as age, sex, and education, which are often linked to social and economic drivers. Scholars acknowledge, however, that migratory behavior is also likely to be selective on characteristics that are less readily observable. This research note expands the list by examining "grit"-in other words, a measure of perseverance in the face of adversity.

Dietary patterns and their socio-demographic correlates in the context of migration and urbanisation demonstrate nutrition transitions in South Africa.

This paper investigates the demographic and socio-economic correlates of dietary patterns in South Africa, drawing on a sample of young adults experiencing internal migration and urbanisation. We use data from the 2018 baseline survey of the Migrant Health Follow-Up Study, an original longitudinal cohort study consisting of 3,087 internal migrants and rural residents aged 18-40 nested within the Agincourt Health and socio-Demographic Surveillance System in rural northeast South Africa. We employ principal components analysis to identify dietary patterns from food frequency questionnaires and ordinary least squares regression to assess whether migration and other socio-economic characteristics correlate with specific dietary patterns at baseline.