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Healthier before they migrate, less healthy when they return? The health of returned migrants in Mexico

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  • Ullmann, S. Heidi
  • Goldman, Noreen
  • Massey, Douglas S.

Abstract

Over the course of the 20th century, Mexico-U.S. migration has emerged as an important facet of both countries, with far reaching economic and social impacts. The health of Mexican immigrants in the U.S. has been well studied, but relatively less is known about the health of returned migrants to Mexico. The objectives of this paper are twofold. Relying on health data pertaining to two stages of the life course, early life health (pre-migration) and adult health (post-migration) from the Mexican Migration Project gathered between 2007 and 2009, we aim to assess disparities in adult health status between male returned migrants and male non-migrants in Mexico, accounting for their potentially different early life health profiles. While we find evidence that returned migrants had more favorable early life health, the results for adult health are more complex. Returned migrants have a higher prevalence of heart disease, emotional/psychiatric disorders, obesity, and smoking than non-migrants but no differences are found in self-rated health, diabetes, or hypertension.

Suggested Citation

  • Ullmann, S. Heidi & Goldman, Noreen & Massey, Douglas S., 2011. "Healthier before they migrate, less healthy when they return? The health of returned migrants in Mexico," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 73(3), pages 421-428, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:73:y:2011:i:3:p:421-428
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    6. Elizabeth Vásquez & Meghana A Gadgil & Weihui Zhang & Jacqueline L Angel, 2022. "Diabetes, disability, and dementia risk: Results from the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (H-EPESE)," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 68(7), pages 1462-1469, November.
    7. Yuying Tong & Martin Piotrowski, 2012. "Migration and Health Selectivity in the Context of Internal Migration in China, 1997–2009," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 31(4), pages 497-543, August.
    8. Christina J. Diaz & Liwen Zeng & Ana P. Martinez-Donate, 2018. "Investigating Health Selection Within Mexico and Across the US Border," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 37(2), pages 181-204, April.
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    13. Douglas S. Massey & Jorge Durand & Karen A. Pren, 2016. "The Precarious Position of Latino Immigrants in the United States," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 666(1), pages 91-109, July.
    14. Christina J. Diaz & Stephanie M. Koning & Ana P. Martinez-Donate, 2016. "Moving Beyond Salmon Bias: Mexican Return Migration and Health Selection," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 53(6), pages 2005-2030, December.
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