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Interracial Marriage and Self-Reported Health of Whites and Blacks in the United States

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  • Yan-Liang Yu

    (Columbia University)

  • Zhenmei Zhang

    (Michigan State University)

Abstract

This study examines the self-reported health of 180,291 married non-Hispanic blacks and whites in interracial versus endogamous marriages. Data are from the National Health Interview Survey pooled over the period 1997–2013. The results from ordinal logistic regressions show that non-Hispanic whites intermarried with non-Hispanic blacks, non-Hispanic whites intermarried with non-Hispanic other races, and non-Hispanic white women with Hispanic husbands report significantly poorer health than their endogamous counterparts. Furthermore, non-Hispanic whites with non-Hispanic black spouses also fare worse than their interracially married peers with Hispanic spouses. In contrast, the self-reported health of married non-Hispanic blacks shows no significant difference between the interracially and the endogamously married. Our findings highlight the theoretical significance of spousal characteristics and couple-level contexts in the household production of health.

Suggested Citation

  • Yan-Liang Yu & Zhenmei Zhang, 2017. "Interracial Marriage and Self-Reported Health of Whites and Blacks in the United States," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 36(6), pages 851-870, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:poprpr:v:36:y:2017:i:6:d:10.1007_s11113-017-9438-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s11113-017-9438-0
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Aaron Gullickson, 2006. "Education and black-white interracial marriage," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 43(4), pages 673-689, November.
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    5. Michael Rendall & Margaret Weden & Melissa Favreault & Hilary Waldron, 2011. "The Protective Effect of Marriage for Survival: A Review and Update," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 48(2), pages 481-506, May.
    6. Vincent Fu, 2001. "Racial intermarriage pairings," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 38(2), pages 147-159, May.
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