ABSTRACT
The degree to which social determinants of health differ between indigenous migrants and non-indigenous people born and raised locally is currently unknown. We compared social determinants of health between indigenous migrants and non-indigenous people from urban north-eastern Mexico. Additionally, we ranked priorities for addressing the negative social determinants of health. This was a population-based comparative cross-sectional study (n = 235 indigenous migrants and 168 non-indigenous people). A two-stage non-random sampling was carried out from June to August of 2019. Heads of households ≥18 years and those with the ability to communicate in Spanish were recruited house by house. Structural and intermediary determinants of health were identified according to the World Health Organization Conceptual Framework and priorities were ranked using Z-scores. Being a migrant indigenous increased 1.6 times the odds of low education (95% CI = 1.1, 2.4). In addition, the migrant indigenous status increased the odds of poor housing, unhealthy behaviour and low social cohesion (p < 0.05). Housing, behaviours and health service accessibility were top priorities for indigenous migrants and structural determinants for non-indigenous people. The findings show that the right to access the social determinants of health has not yet been guaranteed for indigenous communities.