A Life Course Approach to the Health of Mexican Migrants in the United States

• In Event: 480 - Section on Medical Sociology Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 03. Nativity and Health

Abstract

The health of migrants is embedded in both origin and destination. The life course perspective enables consideration of how migrants’ health trajectories are influenced by the act of migration and by individual and social factors in the sending and receiving contexts. Cross-national longitudinal data make it possible to follow individuals from their community of origin in the sending country to their international destination. Using data from the Mexican Family Life Survey, this paper examines whether and how the health of Mexican immigrants in the United States is shaped by individual and social factors prior to migration, by the characteristics of the migratory experience, and by individual and social factors—including the process of adaptation—in the destination country. In addition, by considering baseline (pre-migration) health status, this paper assesses if migrants experience positive or negative health trajectories after migration.

Author

• Gabriela Leon-Perez, Vanderbilt University