IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/socmed/v71y2010i5p1002-1010.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Health status, health behaviour and healthcare use among migrants in the UK: Evidence from mothers in the Millennium Cohort Study

Author

Listed:
  • Jayaweera, Hiranthi
  • Quigley, Maria A.

Abstract

The health of migrants in the UK and their access to healthcare is of considerable policy interest. There is evidence of ethnic inequalities in health and access to and use of healthcare but insufficient consideration of the importance of birth abroad and length of residence in the UK. This study examines indicators of health status, behaviour and healthcare use among mothers of infants in the Millennium Cohort Study, according to whether born in the UK or abroad, individual ethnic grouping, and length of residence. Our findings show there are both positive and negative health indicators associated with ethnicity, birth abroad, and length of residence and presenting results on a single factor in isolation could lead to a misinterpretation of associations. For mothers ethnicity has an important relationship with most health indicators independent of country of birth, length of residence and socio-demographic circumstances. Once adjusted for ethnicity and socio-demographic variables, association with birth abroad disappears for most health outcomes suggesting that there may not be an independent migrant penalty in health. There is a linear trend in decreasing health status with increasing length of residence but no independent association between length of residence and healthcare use. This suggests that while there are continuing barriers to good health for migrants in the receiving society as shown in other studies, factors important for one health outcome may not apply to another. Our findings challenge linear acculturation models for migrants' health in showing that a linear trend in improving socio-economic circumstances for mothers in some ethnic groups is not always associated with better health outcomes or changes in health behaviour. Our results point to a need for a comprehensive collection of information and analysis for all categories of migrants for understanding patterns of and factors underlying health and use of healthcare.

Suggested Citation

  • Jayaweera, Hiranthi & Quigley, Maria A., 2010. "Health status, health behaviour and healthcare use among migrants in the UK: Evidence from mothers in the Millennium Cohort Study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(5), pages 1002-1010, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:71:y:2010:i:5:p:1002-1010
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277-9536(10)00457-0
    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. 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.
    2. Harley, Kim & Eskenazi, Brenda, 2006. "Time in the United States, social support and health behaviors during pregnancy among women of Mexican descent," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 62(12), pages 3048-3061, June.
    3. Abraído-Lanza, A.F. & Armbrister, A.N. & Flórez, K.R. & Aguirre, A.N., 2006. "Toward a theory-driven model of acculturation in public health research," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 96(8), pages 1342-1346.
    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. Stephanie L Prady & Kate E Pickett & Tim Croudace & Lesley Fairley & Karen Bloor & Simon Gilbody & Kathleen E Kiernan & John Wright, 2013. "Psychological Distress during Pregnancy in a Multi-Ethnic Community: Findings from the Born in Bradford Cohort Study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(4), pages 1-11, April.
    2. Mine Kühn & Carlos Díaz-Venegas & Domantas Jasilionis & Anna Oksuzyan, 2021. "Gender differences in health in Havana versus in Mexico City and in the US Hispanic population," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 18(2), pages 217-226, June.
    3. Sónia Dias & Ana Gama & Maria O. Martins, 2013. "Health status and preventative behaviors of immigrants by gender and origin: A Portuguese cross‐sectional study," Nursing & Health Sciences, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 15(3), pages 309-317, September.
    4. Wallace, Matthew & Kulu, Hill, 2014. "Low immigrant mortality in England and Wales: A data artefact?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 100-109.
    5. Anna Oksuzyan & Eleonora Mussino & Sven Drefahl, 2019. "Sex differences in mortality in migrants and the Swedish-born population: Is there a double survival advantage for immigrant women?," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 64(3), pages 377-386, April.
    6. Ade Kearns & Elise Whitley & Matt Egan & Catherine Tabbner & Carol Tannahill, 2017. "Healthy Migrants in an Unhealthy City? The Effects of Time on the Health of Migrants Living in Deprived Areas of Glasgow," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 18(3), pages 675-698, August.
    7. Bradby, Hannah, 2012. "Race, ethnicity and health: The costs and benefits of conceptualising racism and ethnicity," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(6), pages 955-958.
    8. Richard Dorsett & Cinzia Rienzo & Martin Weale, 2015. "Intergenerational and Inter-Ethnic Well-Being: An Analysis for the UK," National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) Discussion Papers 451, National Institute of Economic and Social Research.
    9. Kelleher, Dan & Doherty, Edel & O'Neill, Ciaran, 2022. "Examining the transnational preventive healthcare utilisation of a group of Eastern European migrants living full-time in another European state," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 126(4), pages 318-324.
    10. M Sow & C Schoenborn & M De Spiegelaere & J Racape, 2019. "Influence of time since naturalisation on socioeconomic status and low birth weight among immigrants in Belgium. A population-based study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(8), pages 1-15, August.
    11. Kelleher, Dan & Barry, Luke & Hobbins, Anna & O'Neill, Stephen & Doherty, Edel & O'Neill, Ciaran, 2020. "Examining the transnational health preferences of a group of Eastern European migrants relative to a European host population using the EQ-5D-5L," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 246(C).
    12. Chavez, Leo R., 2012. "Undocumented immigrants and their use of medical services in Orange County, California," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(6), pages 887-893.
    13. Nellums, Laura B. & Powis, Jaynaide & Jones, Lucy & Miller, Anna & Rustage, Kieran & Russell, Neal & Friedland, Jon S. & Hargreaves, Sally, 2021. "“It's a life you're playing with”: A qualitative study on experiences of NHS maternity services among undocumented migrant women in England," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 270(C).

    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. 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.
    2. Ullmann, S. Heidi & Goldman, Noreen & Pebley, Anne R., 2013. "Contextual factors and weight change over time: A comparison between U.S. Hispanics and other population sub-groups," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 40-48.
    3. Van Hook, Jennifer & Baker, Elizabeth & Altman, Claire E. & Frisco, Michelle L., 2012. "Canaries in a coalmine: Immigration and overweight among Mexican-origin children in the US and Mexico," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(2), pages 125-134.
    4. Abdulrahim, Sawsan & Baker, Wayne, 2009. "Differences in self-rated health by immigrant status and language preference among Arab Americans in the Detroit Metropolitan Area," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(12), pages 2097-2103, June.
    5. John, Dolly A. & de Castro, A.B. & Martin, Diane P. & Duran, Bonnie & Takeuchi, David T., 2012. "Does an immigrant health paradox exist among Asian Americans? Associations of nativity and occupational class with self-rated health and mental disorders," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(12), pages 2085-2098.
    6. 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.
    7. 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.
    8. Echeverría, Sandra E. & Gundersen, Daniel A. & Manderski, Michelle T.B. & Delnevo, Cristine D., 2015. "Social norms and its correlates as a pathway to smoking among young Latino adults," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 187-195.
    9. Fox, Molly & Thayer, Zaneta & Wadhwa, Pathik D., 2017. "Assessment of acculturation in minority health research," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 176(C), pages 123-132.
    10. Arévalo, Sandra P. & Tucker, Katherine L. & Falcón, Luis M., 2015. "Beyond cultural factors to understand immigrant mental health: Neighborhood ethnic density and the moderating role of pre-migration and post-migration factors," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 91-100.
    11. Martin, Molly A. & Van Hook, Jennifer L. & Quiros, Susana, 2015. "Is socioeconomic incorporation associated with a healthier diet? Dietary patterns among Mexican-origin children in the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 20-29.
    12. Sunmin Lee & Allison H O’Neill & Emily S Ihara & David H Chae, 2013. "Change in Self-Reported Health Status among Immigrants in the United States: Associations with Measures of Acculturation," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(10), pages 1-1, October.
    13. Yeeun Lee & Subin Park, 2018. "The mental health of married immigrant women in South Korea and its risk and protective factors: A literature review," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 64(1), pages 80-91, February.
    14. repec:pri:crcwel:wp08-15-ff is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Jatrana, Santosh & Pasupuleti, Samba Siva Rao & Richardson, Ken, 2014. "Nativity, duration of residence and chronic health conditions in Australia: Do trends converge towards the native-born population?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 53-63.
    16. 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.
    17. Evans, Clare R. & Erickson, Natasha, 2019. "Intersectionality and depression in adolescence and early adulthood: A MAIHDA analysis of the national longitudinal study of adolescent to adult health, 1995–2008," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 220(C), pages 1-11.
    18. 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.
    19. Fleuriet, K. Jill & Sunil, T.S., 2015. "Reproductive habitus, psychosocial health, and birth weight variation in Mexican immigrant and Mexican American women in south Texas," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 102-109.
    20. 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.
    21. Tejeda, Silvia & Thompson, Beti & Coronado, Gloria D. & Martin, Diane P., 2009. "Barriers and facilitators related to mammography use among lower educated Mexican women in the USA," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(5), pages 832-839, March.

    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:71:y:2010:i:5:p:1002-1010. 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.