IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/socmed/v70y2010i12p1997-2005.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Immigrant generation and physical activity among Mexican, Chinese & Filipino adults in the U.S

Author

Listed:
  • Afable-Munsuz, Aimee
  • Ponce, Ninez A.
  • Rodriguez, Michael
  • Perez-Stable, Eliseo J.

Abstract

Migrant studies of physical activity (PA) can provide insight into the prevention of chronic disease. It is unclear, however, whether PA increases or decreases the longer migrants live in their host country. In the US, studies on immigrants' length of residence in the US and PA are inconclusive and many studies do not adequately consider the role of socioeconomic status (SES). Using California data, we examine relationships between immigrant generation and physical activity (PA) among Mexican, Chinese and Filipino adults, who represent the three largest immigrant groups in the US, and the extent to which the relationships are confounded by SES. Data from the 2000 US Census was linked with data on adults 18 years and older from the 2005 California Health Interview Survey. PA was measured in three different domains: leisure time (LTPA), non-leisure time (NLTPA) and any PA. Logistic regression was used to examine whether a wide range of SES factors, measured at the respondent and neighborhood levels, influenced the relationship between immigrant generation and PA in all domains and in different ethnic origin groups. Generation was significantly associated with LTPA among Mexican and Chinese adults and with NLTPA among all 3 ethnic origin groups; however the nature of the relationships varied. After adjusting for individual and neighborhood SES factors, a positive association between generation and LTPA remained among Mexican adults, and negative association between generation and NLTPA remained among Chinese and Filipino adults. These results underscore the importance of comparative studies of immigrant generation and PA and consideration of SES factors to identify pathways linking generation to PA. In the context of increasing rates of chronic disease, the study of transitions in PA among immigrants will continue to be critical to promoting the public health of diverse populations in countries such as the US.

Suggested Citation

  • Afable-Munsuz, Aimee & Ponce, Ninez A. & Rodriguez, Michael & Perez-Stable, Eliseo J., 2010. "Immigrant generation and physical activity among Mexican, Chinese & Filipino adults in the U.S," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 70(12), pages 1997-2005, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:70:y:2010:i:12:p:1997-2005
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277-9536(10)00188-7
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Crespo, C.J. & Smit, E. & Carter-Pokras, O. & Andersen, R., 2001. "Acculturation and leisure-time physical inactivity in Mexican American adults: Results from NHANES III, 1988-1994," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 91(8), pages 1254-1257.
    2. Hunt, L.M.Linda M. & Schneider, Suzanne & Comer, Brendon, 2004. "Should "acculturation" be a variable in health research? A critical review of research on US Hispanics," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 59(5), pages 973-986, September.
    3. Allen, M.L. & Elliott, M.N. & Morales, L.S. & Diamant, A.L. & Hambarsoomian, K. & Schuster, M.A., 2007. "Adolescent participation in preventive health behaviors, physical activity, and nutrition: Differences across immigrant generations for Asians and Latinos compared with whites," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 97(2), pages 337-343.
    4. Stevens, J. & Kumanyika, S.K. & Keil, J.E., 1994. "Attitudes toward body size and dieting: Differences between elderly black and white women," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 84(8), pages 1322-1325.
    5. Abraído-Lanza, Ana F. & Chao, Maria T. & Flórez, Karen R., 2005. "Do healthy behaviors decline with greater acculturation?: Implications for the Latino mortality paradox," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(6), pages 1243-1255, September.
    6. Lee, Soo-Kyung & Sobal, Jeffery & Frongillo, Edward A., 2000. "Acculturation and health in Korean Americans," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 51(2), pages 159-173, July.
    7. Wen, Ming & Browning, Christopher R. & Cagney, Kathleen A., 2003. "Poverty, affluence, and income inequality: neighborhood economic structure and its implications for health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 57(5), pages 843-860, September.
    8. Evenson, Kelly R. & Sarmiento, Olga L. & Ayala, Guadalupe X., 2004. "Acculturation and physical activity among North Carolina Latina immigrants," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 59(12), pages 2509-2522, December.
    9. Perez-Stable, E.J. & Marin, G. & VanOss Marin, B., 1994. "Behavioral risk factors: A comparison of Latinos and non-Latino whites in San Francisco," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 84(6), pages 971-976.
    10. Acevedo-Garcia, Dolores & Pan, Jocelyn & Jun, Hee-Jin & Osypuk, Theresa L. & Emmons, Karen M., 2005. "The effect of immigrant generation on smoking," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(6), pages 1223-1242, September.
    11. Zsembik, Barbara A. & Fennell, Dana, 2005. "Ethnic variation in health and the determinants of health among Latinos," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(1), pages 53-63, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Nahyun Lee & Bong-Seok Kim, 2021. "International Student Engagement for Sustainability of Leisure Participation: An Integrated Approach of Means-End Chain and Acculturation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-18, April.

    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. Creighton, Mathew J. & Goldman, Noreen & Pebley, Anne R. & Chung, Chang Y., 2012. "Durational and generational differences in Mexican immigrant obesity: Is acculturation the explanation?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(2), pages 300-310.
    2. repec:pri:crcwel:wp08-15-ff is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Abraído-Lanza, Ana F. & Chao, Maria T. & Flórez, Karen R., 2005. "Do healthy behaviors decline with greater acculturation?: Implications for the Latino mortality paradox," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(6), pages 1243-1255, September.
    4. Jonathan Zufferey, 2016. "Investigating the migrant mortality advantage at the intersections of social stratification in Switzerland," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 34(32), pages 899-926.
    5. Terriquez, Veronica & Joseph, Tiffany D., 2016. "Ethnoracial inequality and insurance coverage among Latino young adults," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 150-158.
    6. Claire E. Altman & Jennifer Van Hook & Jonathan Gonzalez, 2017. "Becoming Overweight without Gaining a Pound: Weight Evaluations and the Social Integration of Mexicans in the United States," International Migration Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(1), pages 3-36, March.
    7. Schmeer, Kammi K., 2012. "Early childhood economic disadvantage and the health of Hispanic children," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(8), pages 1523-1530.
    8. Lu, Shengfeng & Chen, Sixia & Wang, Peigang, 2019. "Language barriers and health status of elderly migrants: Micro-evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 94-112.
    9. Su, Dejun & Li, Lifeng & Pagán, José A., 2008. "Acculturation and the use of complementary and alternative medicine," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(2), pages 439-453, January.
    10. Mulvaney-Day, Norah E. & Alegría, Margarita & Sribney, William, 2007. "Social cohesion, social support, and health among Latinos in the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 64(2), pages 477-495, January.
    11. Leigh Ann Leung, 2014. "Healthy And Unhealthy Assimilation: Country Of Origin And Smoking Behavior Among Immigrants," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 23(12), pages 1411-1429, December.
    12. Thomson, Maria D. & Hoffman-Goetz, Laurie, 2009. "Defining and measuring acculturation: A systematic review of public health studies with Hispanic populations in the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(7), pages 983-991, October.
    13. Buttenheim, Alison M. & Pebley, Anne R. & Hsih, Katie & Chung, Chang Y. & Goldman, Noreen, 2013. "The shape of things to come? Obesity prevalence among foreign-born vs. US-born Mexican youth in California," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 1-8.
    14. Ro, Annie & Bostean, Georgiana, 2015. "Duration of U.S. stay and body mass index among Latino and Asian immigrants: A test of theoretical pathways," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 39-47.
    15. Mara Sheftel & Frank W. Heiland, 2018. "Disability crossover: Is there a Hispanic immigrant health advantage that reverses from working to old age?," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 39(7), pages 209-250.
    16. Lisa M. Bates & Julien O. Teitler, 2008. "Immigration and low birthweight in the US: The role of time and timing," Working Papers 1085, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for Research on Child Wellbeing..
    17. Acevedo-Garcia, Dolores & Sanchez-Vaznaugh, Emma V. & Viruell-Fuentes, Edna A. & Almeida, Joanna, 2012. "Integrating social epidemiology into immigrant health research: A cross-national framework," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(12), pages 2060-2068.
    18. Lebrun, Lydie A., 2012. "Effects of length of stay and language proficiency on health care experiences among Immigrants in Canada and the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(7), pages 1062-1072.
    19. Allen, Jennifer Dacey & Caspi, Caitlin & Yang, May & Leyva, Bryan & Stoddard, Anne M. & Tamers, Sara & Tucker-Seeley, Reginald D. & Sorensen, Glorian C., 2014. "Pathways between acculturation and health behaviors among residents of low-income housing: The mediating role of social and contextual factors," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 26-36.
    20. Georgiana Bostean & Annie Ro & Nancy L. Fleischer, 2017. "Smoking Trends among U.S. Latinos, 1998–2013: The Impact of Immigrant Arrival Cohort," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-12, March.
    21. Miao, Siyu & Xiao, Yang, 2020. "Does acculturation really matter for internal migrants’ health?Evidence from eight cities in China," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 260(C).

    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:eee:socmed:v:70:y:2010:i:12:p:1997-2005. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/315/description#description .

    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.