American Journal of Public Health
Volume 98, Issue 11, 2008, Pages 2058-2064
Health selection among new immigrants (Article)
Akresh I.R. ,
Frank R.*
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a
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL, United States
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b
Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States, Ohio State University, Department of Sociology, 300 Bricker Hall, Columbus, OH 43210, United States
Abstract
Objectives. We sought to quantify the extent of health selection (i.e., the degree towhich potential immigrants migrate, or fail tomigrate, on the basis of their health status) among contemporary US immigrant groups and evaluate the degree that selection explains variation in self-rated health among US legal permanent residents. Methods. Data came from the New Immigrant Survey 2003 cohort. We estimated the extent of positive and negative health selection through a unique series of questions asking immigrants in the United States to evaluate their health and compare it to that of citizens in their country of origin. Results. The extent of positive health selection differed significantly across immigrant groups and was related to compositional differences in the socioeconomic profiles of immigrant streams. Conclusions. The salience of socioeconomic status and English-language ability in explaining health differentials across immigrant groups reinforces the importance of further research on the role of these factors in contributing to the health of immigrants above and beyond the need for additional attention to the health selection process.
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Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-55249127534&doi=10.2105%2fAJPH.2006.100974&partnerID=40&md5=1d1d469a3fccbea1126599f5386f5925
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2006.100974
ISSN: 00900036
Cited by: 115
Original Language: English