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Mapping Immigrant Health Trajectories: Investigating the Implications of Institutional Selection and Post-arrival Support Across Legal-Entry Pathways

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  • Thoa V. Khuu

    (The Pennsylvania State University)

Abstract

Immigrants initially arrive in the United States in better health than the U.S.-born, but this advantage tends to diminish over time. The factors behind the existence and decline of the immigrant health advantage (IHA) are a subject of ongoing debate. While prior research has mainly focused on ethno-cultural group differences and individual selection dynamics, this study investigates how institutional selection and support, varying with different legal-entry pathways, affect immigrants' initial health status and subsequent health trajectory. Leveraging microdata samples from the Annual Social and Economic Supplement of the Current Population Survey (ASEC-CPS), the research offers a comparative analysis of work disability and self-rated health across the U.S.-born demographic and three legal-entry groups: employment-based, refugee, and U.S.-territory entries. The findings reveal a significant initial health advantage for both employment-based and refugee entries compared to the U.S.-born. However, while the health advantage holds steady for refugee entry over longer durations of stay, it diminishes for employment-based entry. These findings hold important implications for policies regarding immigration and immigrant integration.

Suggested Citation

  • Thoa V. Khuu, 2024. "Mapping Immigrant Health Trajectories: Investigating the Implications of Institutional Selection and Post-arrival Support Across Legal-Entry Pathways," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 43(1), pages 1-28, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:kap:poprpr:v:43:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1007_s11113-023-09850-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s11113-023-09850-7
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    References listed on IDEAS

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