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Rennie LeeUCLA Department of Sociology

Immigrant Health Around the World: Evidence from the

World Values Survey

COEMH WorkshopMay 13, 2010

Background2

Two opposing views of immigrants healthImmigrants as less healthyImmigrants long viewed as having poor health and bringing infectious diseases

“Healthy Immigrant Paradox”Immigrants as healthier than native born

Why Study Immigrant Health?3

Public health issue- health care systemIndicator of assimilationMigration policy

Long part of US migration policy: screening, AIDS

test

Research Question4

What is the relationship between immigrant status and self-rated health?

DescriptivelyNet of individual characteristics

How does the health of immigrants compare with the native born in 32 countries?

Data: World Values Survey5

World Values Survey• Five waves of data from 1981-2005• Ask same questions in each country• 32 countries (at least 30 immigrants)• N=43744• Self-rated health• Immigrant status• Demographic & Socioeconomic variables (sex, age, individual social class)

Sample Characteristics for 32 Countries

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ImmigrantsAverage health: 3.56Average age: 46.02Average social class: 2.76Native bornAverage health: 3.66Average age: 42.01Average social class: 2.73

Immigrant & Native Born Self-Rated Health

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OLS Regression Coefficients of Self-Rated Health for Estonia

Model 1

Immigrant -0.23***

FemaleAgeAge SquaredSocial ClassConstant3.37***

N=1002***p<.001, **p<.01, *p<.05

Model 2 Model 3-0.1 -0.06

-0.18*** -0.16***

-2.29** -2.49**0.26 0.67

0.15***

4.37*** 3.96***

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OLS Regression Coffiecients of Self-Rated Health for 32

Countries

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MacedoniaBosnia FederationTaiwanGeorgiaCzech RepublicAzerbaijanEstonia

ArmeniaLatviaSwitzerlandPuerto RicoSouth AfricaNigeria

Model 1

-0.52**-

0.46***

-0.35*-0.33**-0.29*-0.26*-

0.23***

-0.23***

-0.15*-0.13*0.27**0.33**0.42**

Model 2-0.39**-0.22-0.010.04-0.16-0.10-0.10-0.08-0.01-0.13*0.160.42***0.43**

Model 3-0.38*-0.23-0.020.07-0.19-0.11-0.06-0.07-0.01-0.11*0.150.200.39*

***p<.001, **p<.01, *p<.05

Main Findings10

Immigrant health is not statistically different from that of native born in 32 countries, net of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics

Negative relationship between immigrant status and health is only a descriptive statistic

Implications11

Perception of negative immigrant health may be shaped by:

public discourse: stereotypes, mediaanti-immigrant rhetoric/ migration policy

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Possible Explanations

Selectivity Immigrants that arrive have higher health status than those left behind and those in destination country

Assimilation Immigrants converge to the health status of those in host country

OLS Regression Coefficients of Immigrant Self-Rated Health

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Model 1 Model 2Model 3

Republic of Moldova0 .02 0.21*0.18*

Ukraine 0.03 0.10* 0.09*

***p<.001, **p<.01, *p<.05