Age of Migration, Disability, and Active Life Expectancy among the Elder Mexican-origin Population

• In Event: 067 - Section on Aging and the Life Course Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: Table 02. Health, Living Arrangements, and Care for Older Latinos and Immigrants

Abstract

This study employs 17 years of data from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly to document heterogeneity in Activities of Daily Living and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living limitations across eight groups by gender, nativity and age of migration among Mexican-origin individuals 65 and older residing in the southwestern United States. This examination takes into account the demographic heterogeneity of the U.S. Mexican-origin population and is especially timely given the rapid population aging that U.S. Latino and immigration subpopulations are experiencing. We argue that the life experiences of the foreign-born in the U.S. are likely to be shaped by the age and the period at which they immigrated. Sullivan-based multistate life tables are employed to assess active life expectancy at age 65 with and without disabilities by age of migration and gender. Results show that there are important differences by nativity and age of migration in active life expectancy among foreign-born Mexican elders. Female migrants are at a significant disadvantage in terms of IADL disability relative to U.S.-born women, particularly early and late life migrants. Conversely, mid and late life male migrants exhibit a health advantage in total life expectancy and ADL disability compared to their U.S.-born counterparts. These findings illustrate foreign-born Mexican elders are not a homogeneous group. This issue merits special attention in the development of community-based long-term care programs to appropriately target the specific needs of different sub-groups of older Mexican-origin individuals who are entering into their last decades of life.

Authors

• Marc Anthony Garcia, University of Texas Medical Branch-Galveston

• Chi-Tsun Chiu, Academia Sinica