Health Implications of Late-Age Immigration in the United States

Juanita J. Chinn, National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), CDC

This research examines variation in health status of U.S. immigrants according to age at immigration using the 2004 – 2013 National Health Interview Survey Sample Adult Core Supplement (NHIS). I evaluate two well-known hypotheses in the immigration and health literature: the healthy immigrant hypothesis and acculturation. Are late age immigrants healthier than immigrants who grow older in the United States? In this paper, I examine multiple aspects of late-age immigration and its relationship with physical health. First, I will use multiple measures of health status, including body mass index, diabetes, functional limitations, hypertension, and self-rated health. Second, and most important, I will analyze health differences in the older age immigrant population by gender, time in the United States, and age at immigration.