Thread: New Study Tracks Mexican Migrants' Health Issue

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October 13, 2005 02:52 PM US Eastern Timezone

Major New Study Tracks Mexican Migrants' Health Issues and Compares to Longstanding Migrants, U.S. Born Mexican-Americans and U.S. Born Whites

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 13, 2005--The University of California and the National Population Council (CONAPO) of the Government of Mexico today released the findings of a landmark study on health trends of Mexican immigrants living in the United States. The findings were released this morning at a press conference held at the Mexican General Consulate of Los Angeles as part of the Fifth U.S.-Mexico Binational Health Week.


The new report, Mexico-United States Migration Health Issues describes the volume, trends, and characteristics of Mexican migration to the United States. In addition, immigrants' health concerns, such as the availability of medical insurance coverage and the access to and use of medical services are analyzed. For the first time, differences between recent immigrants, those who have lived 10 or more years in the U.S., Mexican-Americans, and U.S. born whites are analyzed using U.S. and Mexican data sources.

"This binational study represents an important step between the two countries, and provides us with data and information that can help us shape strategies and policies to improve the health of migrants living in the United States," stated Elena Zuniga, Secretary General of the National Population Council (CONAPO) of the Government of Mexico. Key findings of the study include:

-- In 2004, Mexicans born in Mexico and residing in the U.S. numbered 10.2 million, compared with 879,000 in 1970. In 2004, descendents of Mexican immigrants grew to 26.8 million from 5.4 million in 1970.

-- Health insurance coverage for Mexicans is obtained primarily through private insurance (32 percent). Just 15 percent of this population participates in governmental health insurance programs, representing 3 percent of the U.S. population using these programs.

-- Immigrants from Mexico use emergency rooms about half as often as the U.S.-born, whether white or Mexican American.

"Given the occupations that Mexican immigrants are most likely to hold, they are also expected to experience more accidents or illnesses that require emergency room use," stated Xochitl Castaneda, Director, California Mexico Health Initiative. "However, the costs of emergency room use by immigrants appear relatively low, despite their occupational risks and low rates of having a usual source of care," concluded Ms. Castaneda.

-- Of the 10.2 million Mexican immigrants living in the United States, more than half (5.9 million persons) do not have health insurance. This number increases among recent immigrants of whom 70 percent lack coverage.

-- Significant inequalities are observed in the same occupations. For example, on those associated with cleaning, maintenance, and food preparation, 77% of the recent Mexican immigrants have no health insurance, compared with only 30% of the U.S.-born whites. Similarly, in professional occupations, 44% of recent Mexican immigrants are uninsured compared to 8% of the U.S.-born white population.

-- Within Mexican families, inequalities vis-a-vis access to medical insurance is also found. Of the 3.9 million Mexican-headed households, 2.7 million (69%) include members under 18 years of age. In 27% of Mexican-headed households, none of the minors are insured. Insured children tend to be those born in the U.S., while often those without coverage were born in Mexico.

-- Data reveal difficulties faced by Mexican immigrants in maintaining their health and well-being. For example, over one-third of recent immigrant adults had not seen a doctor in the past 2 years, 5 times the rate of U.S.-born whites. While recent immigrants report good health, even better than that of Mexican Americans and native white populations, long-stay migrants report worse health in a number of indicators.

-- Recently immigrated women are almost 3 times less likely to have pap smears than U.S.-born white women; and are almost 2 times less likely to have mammograms than U.S.-born white women. Recent Mexican immigrant women have the lowest rate of obtaining pap smears: one-third of women age 18-64 did not have the test in the previous 3 years, the recommended period.

Researchers acknowledge that Mexican migration to the U.S. will remain a vital public issue and so will concerns regarding this population's health. They point out that despite basic shortcomings in the social services and other difficulties faced by immigrants, the notable growth in the U.S. Mexican population in recent years suggests that the restriction of rights and social benefits, including health care insurance, has not deterred migration.

"Good health benefits immigrant workers and has larger social and economic implications for both countries," concluded Elena Zuniga, Secretary General of the National Population Council (CONAPO) of the Government of Mexico.

"Without good health, Mexican immigrants cannot work in physically demanding occupations where many are concentrated, such as agriculture and construction. The correlation of decline in health status with length of residence in the U.S. has been found in this study and many others. The health of immigrants, particularly the poorest and most mobile, is therefore a concern requiring bilateral attention and resources and that is why we funded this important study," stated Mario Gutierrez, Program Director of Rural and Agricultural Health for The California Endowment.

The production of the report was made possible through the binational collaborative work of two leading research institutions: The National Population Council (CONAPO) of the Government of Mexico and the University of California. The California Endowment and CONAPO funded the new report, Mexico-United States Migration Health Issues.

Here's another article I ran across that appears to have been released a couple of years ago.

http://www.hispanicprwire.com/news.php? ... 1372&cha=9

Stanford Research Finds Interventions Critical to Mexican Immigrant Health

STANFORD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 4, 2003--A Stanford University Medical Center study has cast light on the health risks and behaviors of women and men from Mexico who have lived in the United States for many years. This rapidly growing segment of the U.S. population whose health needs are often misunderstood or neglected would benefit from improved nutrition, weight reduction and colorectal cancer screening, the study revealed. It also indicated that certain aspects of life in the United States may actually increase health risks for immigrants from Mexico.

Past studies have examined the health behaviors of Latinos in the United States but have considered Latinos as one large group, said Marilyn Winkleby, PhD, associate professor of medicine at the Stanford Prevention Research Center and senior author of the paper published in the latest issue of Ethnicity and Disease. In reality, the U.S. Latino population consists of important subgroups with different health risks and needs. In California, the largest subgroup is people from Mexico. Furthermore, Winkleby noted, many studies have missed some subgroups, such as farmworkers in labor camps, because they often don't have a permanent residence or regular contact with health-care providers.

"Given that Latinos are this country's fastest-growing ethnic group, we don't know nearly as much as we should about their health needs," she said. The study, conducted in late 2000 in collaboration with public health officials, surveyed nearly 1,000 women and men living in California's Monterey County and close to 200 male farmworkers living in labor camps in that county.

Respondents were asked about health behaviors including diet, exercise, alcohol use and cancer screening. The survey was conducted by phone for the community sample and in person for the farmworkers. It achieved an unusually high response rate: 87 percent for the community sample and 98 percent for the farmworkers.

The survey revealed an increasingly stable population of Latinos in California. While most of the respondents were born in Mexico and spoke primarily Spanish, 80 percent of the community sample and almost 50 percent of the farmworkers had lived in the United States for at least 10 years.

The good news from the survey included low smoking rates (more than 80 percent of the women and nearly half the male laborers reported they had never smoked) and high rates of cervical and breast cancer screening (87 percent of the women had a Pap test within the past three years and 69 percent of women over age 40 had a mammogram
within the past two years).

The bad news included poor nutrition (all respondents reported low fruit and vegetable consumption) and high rates of obesity, even among the farmworkers (more than 60 percent of all respondents were overweight, including more than 20 percent who were obese). Also troubling was the screening rate for colorectal cancer: 70 to 80 percent of the community sample and 100 percent of the farmworkers had never been screened.

One significant finding concerned the negative impact of living in the United States. The survey revealed that for every five years the respondents had lived in this country, the odds of obesity increased 25 percent for women, and the odds of high fat/fast food intake and high alcohol use increased 35 percent and 50 percent, respectively, for the male laborers.

Winkleby said the results showed that interventions are needed for Mexican immigrants in the United States, with a focus on obesity, nutrition, screening for colorectal cancer, and high alcohol use for men. Even simple, low-cost strategies can be effective, she explained, citing efforts by agricultural employers in Monterey County to provide healthy foods for farmworkers in cafeterias and on field trucks.

The survey also demonstrated the need to expand Latinos' access to health insurance and routine medical care. About 30 percent of the community sample and 65 percent of the farmworkers had no health insurance, and more than 25 percent of the farmworkers had not seen a doctor for five years or more.

A program for which Winkleby is seeking funding in conjunction with the Monterey County Health Department would improve Latinos' access to health-care services and cancer information by keeping community clinics open on weekends and evenings and establishing partnerships with fast-food restaurants to provide culturally appropriate, Spanish-language cancer information. Winkleby noted that among Latino communities, "There are strong barriers to cancer detection and treatment and lack of awareness about the benefits of early detection." She also cited the poor access to health-care services, language barriers and a medical system that can seem intimidating to this group.

Stanford University Medical Center integrates research, medical education and patient care at its three institutions – Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. For more information, please visit the Web site of the medical center's Office of Communication & Public Affairs at http://mednews.stanford.edu.