Immigration and the Health of Asian and Pacific Islander Adults in the United States

Abstract

The authors used the 1992-1995 National Health Interview Survey to examine the effect of immigrant status (both nativity and duration of residence in the United States) on the health of Asian and Pacific Islander adults by constructing models in which national origin was also specified. In logistic regression models adjusted for age, marital status, living arrangement, family size, and several socioeconomic indicators, immigrants were found to be in better health than their US-born counterparts, but their health advantages consistently decreased with duration of residence. For example, for Asian and Pacific Islander immigrants whose duration of residence was less than 5 years, 5-9 years, and 10 years or more, the odds ratios for activity limitations were 0.45 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.33, 0.62), 0.65 (95% CI: 0.46, 0.93), and 0.73 (95% CI: 0.60, 0.90), respectively. Similar findings emerged for respondent-reported health and bed days due to illness. These results support the validity and complementarity of the migration selectivity and acculturation hypotheses. However, the picture was not uniformly positive. The health of certain Asian and Pacific Islander groups, notably Pacific Islanders and Vietnamese, was found to be less favorable than average. Finally, after adjustment for health status, immigrants seemed to have less adequate access to formal medical care.

Beyond conventional socioeconomic status: examining subjective and objective social status with self-reported health among Asian immigrants

“…Self-rated physical health was measured by a question that asked respondents to rate their overall physical health (excellent, very good, good, fair and poor). Following conventional practice, we collapsed these categories into a dichotomized outcome with one indicating ''poor'' or ''fair'' physical health and zero otherwise (Cho et al, 2004;Frisbie et al, 2001). Physical discomfort was assessed based on one question asking how often respondents experienced physical discomfort in the past 30 days.…”

Lifecourse Social Conditions and Racial and Ethnic Patterns of Cognitive Aging

“…Migration has also marked the experiences of many elderly Asians (Parker Frisbie et al 2001). The consequences of migration may markedly differ for these groups, however, depending on the forces that prompted migration (for example, economic concerns, political turmoil, or family reunification); the characteristics of the community left behind (e.g.…”

Health Service Utilization Among Immigrants to the United States

“…Research often describes the immigrant population as healthier than natives when they arrive in the host country and that, over time, their health declines (Chen et al 1996;McDonald and Kennedy 2004;Newbold 2005). Among Hispanics and Asians, studies have demonstrated a positive relationship between time in the U.S. and negative health outcomes such as low birthweight (Balcazar and Krull 1999;Scribner and Dwyer 1989), psychological distress (Kaplan and Marks 1990), and activity limitations (Cho et al 2004;Frisbie et al 2001). Prior work has also shown that the prevalence of characteristics such as obesity and overweight are positively associated with time in the U.S. (Goel et al 2004;Gordon-Larsen et al 2003;Himmelgreen et al 2003) and in Canada (Cairney and Ostbye 1999).…”