Health Selection Among Migrants from Mexico to the US: Childhood Predictors of Adult Physical and Mental Health
Health Selection Among Migrants from Mexico to the US: Childhood Predictors of Adult Physical and Mental Health
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DOI：
10.1177/003335491112600310
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发表时间：
2011-05-01
影响因子：
3.3
通讯作者：
Medina Mora, Maria-Elena
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Breslau, Joshua;Borges, Guilherme;Medina Mora, Maria-Elena
目标.我们测试了对成年身心健康的儿童期预测因素的积极选择是否有助于墨西哥出生的移民相对于美国移民的健康优势。出生的墨西哥裔美国人。我们将2000-2003年在墨西哥和美国进行的调查数据与相同的结构化访谈相结合。我们研究了儿童期的回顾性报告（即，< 16岁）成人健康教育、身高、儿童身体疾病、儿童心理健康、早期物质使用和儿童逆境的预测因子作为>= 16岁时从墨西哥移民到美国的预测因子。我们通过比较移民和所有非移民来估计总体选择。我们还研究了家庭（移民家庭成员与没有移民的家庭成员）和个人（移民与移民家庭中的非移民）水平的选择。区分家庭和个人的选择，揭示了积极的健康选择的证据，这是模糊的整体选择模型。特别是，有移民家庭的受访者比没有移民家庭的受访者更有可能接受>= 12年的教育（比值比[OR] = 1.60），并处于最高身高四分位数（OR=1.72）。在家庭和个人层面上，流动人口的心理健康状况，包括较高的患病率的行为问题，恐惧症和早期的物质使用处于不利地位。积极的健康选择可能有助于在美国的墨西哥移民的身体健康优势相对于他们的美国出生的后代。心理健康优势可能反映了墨西哥精神疾病的发病率较低，而不是区别移民的保护因素。
Objectives. We tested whether positive selection on childhood predictors of adult mental and physical health contributed to health advantages of Mexican-born immigrants to the United States relative to U.S.-born Mexican Americans.Methods. We combined data from surveys conducted during 2000-2003 in Mexico and the U.S. with the same structured interview. We examined retrospective reports of childhood (i.e., < 16 years of age) predictors of adult health education, height, childhood physical illness, childhood mental health, early substance use, and childhood adversities as predictors of migration from Mexico to the U.S. at >= 16 years of age. We estimated overall selection by comparing migrants to all non-migrants. We also examined selection at the family (members of families of migrants vs. members of families without a migrant) and individual (migrants vs. non-migrants within families of migrants) levels.Results. Distinguishing between family and individual selection revealed evidence of positive health selection that is obscured in the overall selection model. In particular, respondents in families with migrants were more likely to have >= 12 years of education (odds ratio [OR] = 1.60) and be in the tallest height quartile (OR=1.72) than respondents in families without migrants. At both the family and individual levels, migrants are disadvantaged on mental health profiles, including a higher prevalence of conduct problems, phobic fears, and early substance use.Conclusions. Positive health selection may contribute to physical health advantages among Mexican immigrants in the U.S. relative to their U.S.-born descendants. Mental health advantages likely reflect a lower prevalence of psychiatric disorders in Mexico, rather than protective factors that distinguish migrants.