Latino Children’s Health: Parent’s Immigration Status and Length of Residence in the United States

• In Event: 3581 - Section on Sociology of Children and Youth Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 08. Health, Migration, Work

Abstract

The literature on immigrant health suggests that foreign-born Latinos have a health advantage relative to US-born individuals, despite having lower socioeconomic status. Furthermore, research has also argued that Latino immigrants become less healthy after long-term acculturation. Additionally, the literature has argued that acquisition of citizenship status in the country of immigration confers entitlements that may have an effect on immigrants’ health. Despite extensive interest by social scientists and epidemiologists on these issues, few studies have examined how acculturation processes, immigration status and length of residence in the host country impact the determinants of immigrant health status. More specifically, how these factors, as they pertain to Latino parents, impact the health of their children. Preliminary findings from this research using the 2001-2014 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) suggest that unlike assimilation processes, Latino children’s health is strongly associated with their parent’s citizenship status in the United States. This study will shed light on the mechanisms of health gains and losses among Latino children in the United States.

Author

• Lucrecia Mena Melendez