RESUMO
Research suggests that Mexican immigrants arrive in the United States with equivalent or better health than native-born whites but lose their advantage over time. We seek to examine systematically how well the patterns of initial advantage and deteriorating health apply to immigrants originating from other regions of the world - regions that represent a growing proportion of U.S. immigrants. We begin by identifying which of the groups in our study have a health advantage compared to U.S.-born whites and to Mexican immigrants. We then we assess changes in health over time, controlling for variation in the health profiles of cohorts upon arrival. We use logistic regression of self-rated health and heart conditions with data from the 2004-2013 National Health Interview Survey. The results reveal diversity and similarity in health outcomes across world regions of origin, both on arrival and over time. By comparing and contrasting cases previously examined in isolation, we clarify and qualify theories of the immigrant health paradox and health deterioration.
Assuntos
Emigrantes e Imigrantes/estatística & dados numéricos , Nível de Saúde , Adulto , Povo Asiático/etnologia , Povo Asiático/estatística & dados numéricos , População Negra/etnologia , População Negra/estatística & dados numéricos , Feminino , Humanos , Modelos Logísticos , Masculino , Americanos Mexicanos/estatística & dados numéricos , México/etnologia , Autorrelato , Estados Unidos/etnologia , População Branca/etnologia , População Branca/estatística & dados numéricos , Adulto JovemRESUMO
This article draws on theories of gender inequality and immigrant health to hypothesize differences among the largest immigrant population, Mexicans, and a lesser known population of Middle Easterners. Using data from the 2000-2007 National Health Interview Surveys, we compare health outcomes among immigrants to those among U.S.-born whites and assess gender differences within each group. We find an immigrant story and a gender story. Mexican and Middle Eastern immigrants are healthier than U.S.-born whites, and men report better health than women regardless of nativity or ethnicity. We identify utilization of health care as a primary mechanism that contributes to both patterns. Immigrants are less likely than U.S.-born whites to interact with the health care system, and women are more likely to do so than men. Thus, immigrant and gender health disparities may partly reflect knowledge of health status rather than actual health.