IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/dem/demres/v50y2024i7.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Immigrant mortality advantage in the United States during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic

Author

Listed:
  • Eugenio Paglino

    (Helsingin Yliopisto (University of Helsinki))

  • Irma T. Elo

    (University of Pennsylvania)

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the mortality impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on US-born and foreign-born populations by race and Hispanic origin in the United States in 2020. Methods: Death records from the National Center for Health Statistics and population data from CDC WONDER were used to estimate (1) age-standardized all-cause and cause-specific mortality at ages 25+, 25–64, and 65+ in 2017–2019 and 2020 by nativity, race, Hispanic origin, and sex; (2) changes in mortality between these two periods; and (3) the cause-specific contributions to these changes. Results: Mortality increased in 2020 relative to 2017–2019 for all racial and Hispanic-origin groups. Adjusting for age, mortality increases were larger at ages 25+ among foreign-born males (390 deaths for 100,000 residents) and females (189) than among US-born males (223) and females (144). The large mortality rise among foreign-born Hispanic men (593) contributed to the narrowing of their mortality advantage relative to White men, from 426 to 134. An increase in mortality among both foreign-born and US-born Black males and females increased the Black–White mortality disparities by 318 for males and by 180 for females. Although COVID-19 mortality was the main driver of the increase among foreign-born residents, circulatory diseases and malignant neoplasms also contributed. Contribution: We show that the COVID-19 pandemic had a greater impact on foreign-born populations than on their US-born counterparts. These findings highlight the need to address the underlying inequalities and unique challenges faced by foreign-born populations.

Suggested Citation

  • Eugenio Paglino & Irma T. Elo, 2024. "Immigrant mortality advantage in the United States during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 50(7), pages 185-204.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:50:y:2024:i:7
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2024.50.7
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.demographic-research.org/volumes/vol50/7/50-7.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.4054/DemRes.2024.50.7?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sven Drefahl & Matthew Wallace & Eleonora Mussino & Siddartha Aradhya & Martin Kolk & Maria Brandén & Bo Malmberg & Gunnar Andersson, 2020. "A population-based cohort study of socio-demographic risk factors for COVID-19 deaths in Sweden," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-7, December.
    2. Kimberly M. Horner & Elizabeth Wrigley-Field & Jonathon P. Leider, 2022. "A First Look: Disparities in COVID-19 Mortality Among US-Born and Foreign-Born Minnesota Residents," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(2), pages 465-478, April.
    3. Saitone, Tina L. & Aleks Schaefer, K. & Scheitrum, Daniel P., 2021. "COVID-19 morbidity and mortality in U.S. meatpacking counties," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    4. Rogelio Sáenz & Marc A Garcia & Deborah S Carr, 2021. "The Disproportionate Impact of COVID-19 on Older Latino Mortality: The Rapidly Diminishing Latino Paradox [Impact of COVID-19 on 2020 US life expectancy for the Black and Latino populations]," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 76(3), pages 81-87.
    5. Fenelon, Andrew, 2013. "Revisiting the Hispanic mortality advantage in the United States: The role of smoking," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 1-9.
    6. Noreen Goldman & Anne R Pebley & Keunbok Lee & Theresa Andrasfay & Boriana Pratt, 2021. "Racial and ethnic differentials in COVID-19-related job exposures by occupational standing in the US," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(9), pages 1-17, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Khlat, Myriam & Ghosn, Walid & Guillot, Michel & Vandentorren, Stéphanie, 2022. "Impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the mortality profiles of the foreign-born in France during the first pandemic wave," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 313(C).
    2. Anneliese N. Luck & Irma T. Elo & Samuel H. Preston & Eugenio Paglino & Katherine Hempstead & Andrew C. Stokes, 2023. "COVID-19 and All-Cause Mortality by Race, Ethnicity, and Age Across Five Periods of the Pandemic in the United States," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 42(4), pages 1-29, August.
    3. Brandily, Paul & Brébion, Clément & Briole, Simon & Khoury, Laura, 2021. "A poorly understood disease? The impact of COVID-19 on the income gradient in mortality over the course of the pandemic," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    4. Antonio Diez de los Rios, 2022. "A macroeconomic model of an epidemic with silent transmission and endogenous self‐isolation," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 55(S1), pages 581-625, February.
    5. Chiara Burlina & Andrés Rodríguez-Pose, 2024. "Inequality, poverty, deprivation and the uneven spread of COVID-19 in Europe," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 58(2), pages 263-284, February.
    6. Borau, Sylvie & Couprie, Hélène & Hopfensitz, Astrid, 2022. "The prosociality of married people: Evidence from a large multinational sample," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    7. Mathieu Ichou & Matthew Wallace, 2019. "The Healthy Immigrant Effect: The role of educational selectivity in the good health of migrants," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 40(4), pages 61-94.
    8. Villas-Boas, Sofia B & Copfer, Jackie & Campbell, Nica, 2021. "Preferences for Sustainability and Supply Chain Essential Worker Conditions: Survey Evidence during COVID-19," Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley, Working Paper Series qt0nv2n39w, Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley.
    9. Dong, Diansheng & Stewart, Hayden & Dong, Xiao & Hahn, William, 2022. "Quantifying Consumer Welfare Impacts of Higher Meat Prices During the COVID-19 Pandemic," Amber Waves:The Economics of Food, Farming, Natural Resources, and Rural America, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, vol. 2022(Economic ), April.
    10. Samuel H. Fishman & S. Philip Morgan & Robert A. Hummer, 2018. "Smoking and Variation in the Hispanic Paradox: A Comparison of Low Birthweight Across 33 US States," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 37(5), pages 795-824, October.
    11. Lee, Haena & Andrasfay, Theresa & Riley, Alicia & Wu, Qiao & Crimmins, Eileen, 2022. "Do social determinants of health explain racial/ethnic disparities in COVID-19 infection?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 306(C).
    12. Astorquiza-Bustos, Bilver Adrian & Quintero-Peña, Jose Wilmar, 2023. "Who can work from home? A remote working index for an emerging economy," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(10).
    13. Tara L Upshaw & Chloe Brown & Robert Smith & Melissa Perri & Carolyn Ziegler & Andrew D Pinto, 2021. "Social determinants of COVID-19 incidence and outcomes: A rapid review," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(3), pages 1-22, March.
    14. Andrasfay, Theresa & Goldman, Noreen, 2020. "Physical functioning and survival: Is the link weaker among Latino and black older adults?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 255(C).
    15. Joseph T. Lariscy & Claudia Nau & Glenn Firebaugh & Robert A. Hummer, 2016. "Hispanic-White Differences in Lifespan Variability in the United States," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 53(1), pages 215-239, February.
    16. Gabriella Berloffa & Francesca Paolini, 2019. "Decomposing Immigrant Differences in Physical and Mental Health: A 'Beyond the Mean' Analysis," DEM Working Papers 2019/4, Department of Economics and Management.
    17. Katherine Leggat-Barr & Noreen Goldman & Fumiya Uchikoshi, 2021. "COVID-19 risk factors and mortality among Native Americans," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 45(39), pages 1185-1218.
    18. Egor Malkov, 2021. "Spousal Occupational Sorting and COVID-19 Incidence: Evidence from the United States," Papers 2107.14350, arXiv.org, revised Sep 2021.
    19. Nicole Filion & Andrew Fenelon & Michel Boudreaux, 2018. "Immigration, citizenship, and the mental health of adolescents," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(5), pages 1-12, May.
    20. Andrew Fenelon, 2017. "Rethinking the Hispanic Paradox: The Mortality Experience of Mexican Immigrants in Traditional Gateways and New Destinations," International Migration Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(3), pages 567-599, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    COVID-19; mortality; immigrants;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:50:y:2024:i:7. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Editorial Office (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.demogr.mpg.de/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.