Unhealthy assimilation
Subtitle: why do immigrants converge to American health status levels?
By: by Heather Antecol, Kelly Bedard.
Contributors: Bedard, Kelly.
Series: Discussion paper ;; no. 1654; Discussion paper (Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit : Online) ;; no. 1654
Publisher: IZA
Published: 2005
Place of publication: Bonn, Germany
Language: eng
Format: Electronic resource
Subjects: Immigrants -- Health and hygiene -- United States.; Emigration and immigration -- Health aspects.
Description: "It is well documented that immigrants are in better health upon arrival in the United States than their American counterparts, but that this health advantage erodes over time. We study the potential determinants of this "healthy immigrant effect", with a particular focus on the tendency of immigrants to converge to unhealthy American BMI levels. Using data from the National Health Interview Survey, we find that the average female and male immigrants enter the U.S. with BMIs that are approximately two and five percentage points lower than native-born women and men, respectively. And, consistent with the declining health status of immigrants the longer they remain in the United States, we also find that female immigrants almost completely converge to American BMIs within ten years of arrival and men close a third of the gap within fifteen years"--Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit web site.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.
Title from PDF file as viewed on 7/26/2005.
Also available in print.
System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Mode of access: World Wide Web.