Cognitive Disability Among Arab Americans by Nativity Status and Arrival Year: Lack of Evidence for the Healthy Migrant Effect

Cognitive Limitations Among Middle Eastern and North African Immigrants

“…First, we found that the prevalence of having a cognitive limitation among MENA immigrants was 17.3%, which is much greater than recent studies using NHIS (9.7%) data (Dallo et al, 2020) and US Census data from the American Community Survey (ACS) (6.0%) (Kindratt et al, 2021). Two main reasons why our results may differ are that (1) our sample size was limited to adults ages 65 and older compared to adults ages 45 and older in previous studies and (2) cognitive health was measured differently in each study.…”

“…The ACS, however, allows for comparisons between US- and foreign-born MENA because that survey includes both place of birth and ancestry questions. Kindratt and colleagues (2021) used ACS data to estimate the prevalence of cognitive limitations among US- and foreign-born Arab Americans. Results indicated that the prevalence of cognitive limitations was 6% among Arab American immigrants compared to 4% among US-born Arab Americans (Kindratt et al, 2021).…”

“…Kindratt and colleagues (2021) used ACS data to estimate the prevalence of cognitive limitations among US- and foreign-born Arab Americans. Results indicated that the prevalence of cognitive limitations was 6% among Arab American immigrants compared to 4% among US-born Arab Americans (Kindratt et al, 2021). There is a need for more population-based studies to confirm these findings and explore other ways to capture cognitive health disparities among MENA populations on a national scale.…”

“…Studies have used these data sources to calculate the prevalence of serious psychological distress (Dallo et al, 2013), chronic diseases (Dallo & Kindratt, 2016), preventive services use (Dallo & Kindratt, 2015a, 2015b, behavioral risk factors (Kindratt et al, 2018), and physical disabilities (Read et al, 2018) within non-Hispanic Whites. Furthermore, previous studies have found the prevalence of cognitive limitations to be higher among MENA populations than other non-Hispanic Whites (Dallo et al, 2020;Kindratt et al, 2021). For example, Dallo and colleagues (2020) examined cognitive health disparities among US-born non-Hispanic Whites, foreign-born non-Hispanic Whites, and foreign-born Arab Americans (comprising foreign-born individuals born in the Middle East) using NHIS data.…”

Epidemiology of cardiovascular disease and its risk factors among refugees and asylum seekers: Systematic review and meta-analysis

“…A growing body of literature challenges the “healthy migrant effect” hypothesis revealing health disparities related to distinct exposures and life experiences of refugees and asylum seekers [ 9 ]. For example, interrupted medical care and preventive care along the migratory route and post-resettlement [ 10 ], psychosocial stressors, racism, and history of living in migrant or refugee camps where the average stay in a refugee camp is seventeen years each negatively impact health [ 11 ].…”