Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Volume 17, Issue 6, 2015, Pages 1746-1757

Substance Use Across Different Phases of the Migration Process: A Survey of Mexican Migrants Flows (Article)

Zhang X. , Martinez-Donate A.P.* , Nobles J. , Hovell M.F. , Rangel M.G. , Rhoads N.M.
  • a Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 610 N. Walnut St., 630 WARF, Madison, WI 53726, United States
  • b Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 610 N. Walnut St., 605 WARF, Madison, WI 53726, United States
  • c Department of Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 4406 Sewell Social Sciences, 1180 Observatory Dr, Madison, WI 53706, United States
  • d Center for Behavioral Epidemiology and Community Health, San Diego State University, 9245 Sky Park Ct., Suite 230, San Diego, CA 92123, United States
  • e Departamento de Estudios de Poblacion, El Colegio de la Frontera Norte, Tijuana, Mexico
  • f Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 610 N. Walnut St., 632 WARF, Madison, WI 53726, United States

Abstract

This study examined the levels of substance use and changes across different migration stages, including pre-departure, travel, destination, and return, among Mexican migrants converging on the US–Mexico border. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Tijuana, Mexico, between 2009 and 2010 among Mexican migrants returning from the US and those travelling from other Mexican regions. The overall prevalence of last 12-month at-risk drinking, illicit drug use, and current smoking, was 42.3, 17.7 and 31.4 %, respectively. Compared to pre-departure migrants, males were at increased risk for illicit drug use at the destination and return stages. In contrast, females’ alcohol consumption at the destination stage was lower than at pre-departure (p < 0.05). The level of smoking was stable across all stages for both genders. In the destination stage, undocumented migrants were more likely to use illicit drugs relative to their documented peers (p < 0.05). Binational interventions promoting substance use reduction are needed among this mobile population. © 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York.

Author Keywords

US–Mexico border Mexican migrants Substance use behaviors Migration stages

Index Keywords

Alcohol Drinking drinking behavior human sex difference middle aged statistics and numerical data Substance-Related Disorders Street Drugs street drug drug dependence ethnology Cross-Sectional Studies cross-sectional study Humans smoking male female risk factor Risk Factors prevalence Mexican American adult migration Sex Factors Transients and Migrants Mexican Americans
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84946485467&doi=10.1007%2fs10903-014-0109-5&partnerID=40&md5=fd9cdbfb0ede71b9f5a278a43641b1bc
DOI: 10.1007/s10903-014-0109-5
ISSN: 15571912
Cited by: 14
Original Language: English