Self-Rated Health and U.S.-Mexico Migration: Differences by Stage of the Migration Process among Men and Women

Claire Altman, Rice University
Bridget K. Gorman, Rice University
Sergio Chávez, Rice University
Keerthi Bandi, Rice University

Research on the Hispanic health paradox has been based on U.S. samples and rarely evaluates how selective migration shapes migrant health profiles. We examine how self-rated health (SRH) differs by migration stage among 489 non-migrants and return migrants in Mexico and current migrants in the U.S. using bi-national data from the 2010 Network Survey of Immigrant Transnationalism (NSIT). A series of logistic models were estimated predicting poor health and adjusted for acculturation, stress, and SES. We find little evidence of positive health selection or salmon bias. Gender differences in SRH do not vary across migration categories.