Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Migrant Selectivity or Cultural Buffering? Investigating the Black Immigrant Health Advantage in Low Birth Weight

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Prior studies on population health have reported an “immigrant health advantage” in which immigrants tend to show better health outcomes compared to their native-born racial/ethnic counterparts. Migrant selectivity and cultural buffering have been proposed as explanations for this relative advantage, predominantly in studies that focus on Latino immigrants’ health in the US. This study adds to the relatively scant literature on black immigrant health advantage by comparing the two hypotheses (migrant selectivity and cultural buffering) as related to black immigrant health. The effect of nativity on infant low birth weight is tested using data from the US Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. Results indicate that immigrant black mothers do have relatively better health outcomes that may result from cultural buffering, which reduces their risky health behaviors.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Overpeck MD, Moss AJ, Hoffman HJ, Hendershot GE. A comparison of the childhood health status of normal birth weight and low birth weight infants. Publ Health Rep. 1989;104:58–70.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. McCormick MC, Gortmaker SL, Sobol AM. Very low birth weight children: behavior problems and school difficulty in a national sample. J Pediatr. 1990;117:687–93.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Boardman JD, Finch BK, Hummer RA. Race/ethnic differences in respiratory problems among a nationally-representative cohort of young children in the United States. Popul Res Policy Rev. 2001;20:1–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Lewitt EM, Baker LS, Corman H, Shionio PH. The direct costs of low birth weight. Future Child. 1995;5:35–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Almond D, Chay KY, Lee DS. The costs of low birth weight. Quart J Econ. 2005;120:1031–83.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Cervantes K. Wyshak: adverse birth outcomes among native born and immigrant women: replicating national evidence regarding Mexicans at the local level. Matern Child Health J. 1999;2:99–109.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Martin JA, Hamilton BE, Sutton PD, Ventura SJ: Births: Final Data for 2008. National Vital Statistics Report. 2010; 59(1).

  8. Martin JA, Hamilton BE, Ventura SJ, Menacker F, Park MM: Births: Final Data for 2000. National Vital Statistics Reports. 2002; 52(10).

  9. Hummer R, Powers D, Pullum S, Gossman G, Frisbie W. Paradox found (again): infant mortality among the Mexican-origin population in the United States. Demography. 2007;44:441–57.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  10. Jasso G, Massey DS, Rosenzweig MR, Smith JP. Immigrant health, selectivity and acculturation. In: Anderson NB, Bulatao RA, Cohen B, editors. Critical perspectives on racial and ethnic differences in health in late life. Washington: National Academy Press; 2004. p. 227–66.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Palloni A, Arias E. Paradox lost: explaining the Hispanic adult mortality advantage. Demography. 2004;41(3):385–415.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Bender DE, Castro D. Explaining the birth weight paradox: latina immigrants’ perceptions of resilience and risk. J Immigr Health. 2000;2(3):155–73.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Sharma RD, Michalowski M, Verma RBP. Mortality differentials among immigrant populations in Canada. Int Migr. 1990;28(4):443–50.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Turra C, Elo I. The impact of salmon bias on the Hispanic mortality advantage: new evidence from Social Security data. Popul Res Policy Rev. 2008;27(5):515–30.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  15. Feliciano C. Educational selectivity in U.S. immigration: how do immigrants compare to those left behind? Demography. 2005;42(1):131–52.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Abraido-Lanza AF, Dohrenwend BP, Ng-Mak DS, Turner JB. The Latino mortality paradox: a test of the “salmon bias” and healthy migrant hypotheses. Am J Public Health. 1999;89(10):1543–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  17. Marmot MG, Adelstein AM, Bulusu L. Lessons from the study of immigrant mortality. Lancet. 1984;323(8392):1455–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Landale NS, Oropesa RS. Migration, social support and perinatal health: an origin-destination analysis of puerto rican women. J Health Soc Behav. 2001;42:166–83.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Scribner R, Dwyer JH. Acculturation and low birth weight among Latinos in the Hispanic HANES. Am J Public Health. 1989;79(9):1263–7.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  20. Kent MM. Immigration and America’s black population. Popul Bull. 2007;62(4):1–16.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Singh GK, Siahpush M. All-cause and cause-specific mortality of immigrants and native borns in the United States. Am J Public Health. 2001;91(3):392–9.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  22. Howard DL, Marshall SS, Jay S, Kaufman P, Savitz DA. Variation in low birth weight and preterm delivery among blacks in relation to ancestry and nativity: New York City, 1998–2002. Pediatrics. 2006;118:e1399–405.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Collins JW, Wu SY, David RJ. Differing intergenerational birth weights among the descendants of US-born and foreign-born Whites and African Americans in Illinois. Am J Epidemiol. 2002;155(3):210–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. David RJ, Collins JW. Differing birth weight among infants of U.S.-born Blacks, African-born Blacks, and U.S.-born Whites. N Engl J Med. 1997;337(17):1209–14.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Elo IT, Culhane JF. Variations in health and health behaviors by nativity among pregnant Black women in Philadelphia. Am J Public Health. 2010;100(11):2185–92.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  26. Cabral H, Fried LE, Levenson S, Amaro H, Zuckerman B. Foreign-born and U.S.-born Black women: differences in health behaviors and birth outcomes. Am J Public Health. 1990;80(1):70–2.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  27. Wasse H, Holt VL, Daling JR. Pregnancy risk factors and birth outcomes in Washington State: a comparison of Ethiopian-born and US-born women. Am J Public Health. 1994;84(9):1505–7.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  28. Reichman Nancy, Teitler Julien, Garfinkel Irwin, McLanahan Sara. Fragile families: sample and design. Child Youth Serv Rev. 2001;23(4/5):303–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Rubalcava LN, et al. The healthy migrant effect: new findings from the Mexican Family Life Survey. Am J Public Health. 2008;98(1):78–84 28 now 29.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  30. Feliciano C. Educational selectivity in US immigration: how do immigrants compare to those left behind? Demography. 2005;42(1):131–52 29 now 30.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Hummer RA. Black-white differences in health and mortality: a review and conceptual model. Soc Quart. 1996;37:105–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Jones CP. Invited commentary: race, racism, and the practice of epidemiology. Am J Epidemiology. 2001;154:299–304.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Williams DR, Neighbors H. Racism, discrimination, and hypertension: evidence and needed research. Ethn Dis. 2001;11:800–16.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Kreiger N, Discrimination and health in social epidemiology. In: LF Berkman, I Kawachi (ed) Oxford University Press, Oxford; 2000, p. 36–75.

  35. Williams DR. Racism and health: a research Agenda. Ethn Dis. 1996;6:1–6.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology Anthropology and Social Work, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI, 48859, USA

    Cedric A. L. Taylor

  2. Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, 83844, USA

    Dilshani Sarathchandra

  3. Central Michigan University, 142 Anspach Hall, Mount Pleasant, MI, 60637, USA

    Cedric A. L. Taylor

Authors
  1. Cedric A. L. Taylor
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Dilshani Sarathchandra
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cedric A. L. Taylor.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Taylor, C.A.L., Sarathchandra, D. Migrant Selectivity or Cultural Buffering? Investigating the Black Immigrant Health Advantage in Low Birth Weight. J Immigrant Minority Health 18, 390–396 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-015-0194-0

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-015-0194-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation