It is widely known that educational attainment has considerable influence on the prevalence of disability among native-born non-Hispanic older adults in the US. However, few studies have examined whether educational attainment has a similar effect on disability among foreign-born Asian older adults. If it does not have a similar effect on these adults, why not, and is its effect influenced by the age at which they immigrated to the US? This study addresses these questions by using the 2006 American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample (ACS PUMS). Logistic regression analyses reveal that education has differential effects on the two racial groups. Education protects foreign-born Asians less than native-born non-Hispanic whites. In addition, Asian adults who immigrated earlier are less likely to experience disability. Interestingly, the interaction between age at immigration and educational attainment for foreign-born Asian older adults indicates that less educated Asians are more likely to benefit from early immigration. Heterogeneity within the Asian group is also examined. The findings suggest that educational attainment has differential effects not only on the two racial groups but also on the foreign-born Asian group depending on age at immigration. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.

Asian immigrants Migration Disability Educational attainment Age at immigration Racial/ethnic health inequality USA

educational status Asian regression analysis Caucasian race difference health disparity Health Status Disparities Disabled Persons human immigration Asia controlled study health status Aged Health Surveys United States racial disparity Humans ethnic difference male female Aged, 80 and over educational attainment Article adult age European Continental Ancestry Group Age Factors disability Emigration and Immigration Asian immigrant ethnicity Disability Evaluation health survey