Race, Ethnicity, and Self-Rated Health Among Immigrants in the United States

• Published in: Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities 2015-12, Vol.2 (4), p.565-572
• Main Authors: Alang, Sirry M., McCreedy, Ellen M., McAlpine, Donna D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Asian - statistics & numerical data; Attention; Black or African American; Black people; Black People - statistics & numerical data; Citizenship; Cross-Sectional Studies; Cultural differences; Demography; Disadvantaged; Economic indicators; Economics; Emigrants and Immigrants - statistics & numerical data; Emigration and Immigration - statistics & numerical data; Epidemiology; Ethnic differences; Ethnicity; Female; Health disparities; Health status; Health Status Disparities; Health Surveys; Hispanic Americans; Hispanic or Latino - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Immigrants; Immigration; Length of stay; Male; Marital status; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Minority & ethnic groups; ORIGINAL PAPERS; Population; Quality of Life Research; Race; Racial differences; Racial inequality; Self evaluation; Social Inequality; Social Structure; Sociodemographics; Socioeconomic Factors; Socioeconomics; Time Factors; United States; Variables; White People - statistics & numerical data
• ISSN: 2197-3792; 2196-8837; 2196-8837
• DOI: 10.1007/s40615-015-0106-y

Objectives Previous work has not fully explored the role of race in the health of immigrants. We investigate race and ethnic differences in self-rated health (SRH) among immigrants, assess the degree to which socio-economic characteristics explain race and ethnic differences, and examine whether time in the USA affects racial and ethnic patterning of SRH among immigrants. Methods Data came from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey ( N  = 16, 288). Using logistic regression, we examine race and ethnic differences in SRH controlling for socio-economic differences and length of time in the country. Results Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black immigrants were the most socio-economically disadvantaged. Asian immigrants were socio-economically similar to non-Hispanic White immigrants. Contrary to U.S. racial patterning, Black immigrants had lower odds of poor SRH than did non-Hispanic White immigrants when socio-demographic factors were controlled. When length of stay in the USA was included in the model, there were no racial or ethnic differences in SRH. However, living in the USA for 15 years and longer was associated with increased odds of poor SRH for all immigrants. Conclusions Findings have implications for research on racial and ethnic disparities in health. Black-White disparities that have received much policy attention do not play out when we examine self-assessed health among immigrants. The reasons why non-Hispanic Black immigrants have similar self-rated health than non-Hispanic White immigrants even though they face greater socio-economic disadvantage warrant further attention.