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Prenatal care among immigrant and racial-ethnic minority women in a new immigrant destination: Exploring the impact of immigrant legal status

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  • Korinek, Kim
  • Smith, Ken R.

Abstract

Despite the rising share of undocumented immigrants in the US population, research has been quite limited regarding immigrant legal status and how it may limit healthcare access, especially research involving direct identification of undocumented populations. Drawing upon the Utah Population Database, a unique, comprehensive linked system of vital, medical, and administrative records, we analyze the prenatal care utilization in a large and recent cohort of births to mothers residing in the pre-emerging immigrant gateway state of Utah. Our analyses focus on the racial-ethnic, nativity and legal status of mothers as factors that influence prenatal care utilization. State administrative records are used to assess legal status among foreign-born mothers, specifically driver privilege cards made available to undocumented migrants. Our results indicate the importance of disaggregating the expansive categories of Hispanics and the foreign born to better understand health outcomes and healthcare utilization among immigrants. In particular, we find that the legal status of immigrant mothers is one of several important factors influencing prenatal care utilization. Undocumented women are among the least likely to obtain adequate levels of prenatal care. However, undocumented women's prenatal care utilization is enhanced among those using the state's integrative driver privilege program, and among those residing in neighborhoods with high concentrations of immigrants. Results are discussed in light of theory on immigrant integration and healthcare access, and in terms of public policies, such as those extending driver privileges to unauthorized immigrants, which aim to facilitate immigrants' access to institutions within destination communities.

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  • Korinek, Kim & Smith, Ken R., 2011. "Prenatal care among immigrant and racial-ethnic minority women in a new immigrant destination: Exploring the impact of immigrant legal status," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(10), pages 1695-1703, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:72:y:2011:i:10:p:1695-1703
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    1. Mauricio Cáceres & Kenneth P. Jameson, 2015. "The effects on insurance costs of restricting undocumented immigrants' access to driver licenses," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 81(4), pages 907-927, April.
    2. 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.
    3. Ruhnke, Simon A. & Reynolds, Megan M. & Wilson, Fernando A. & Stimpson, Jim P., 2022. "A healthy migrant effect? Estimating health outcomes of the undocumented immigrant population in the United States using machine learning," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 307(C).
    4. Asad, Asad L. & Clair, Matthew, 2018. "Racialized legal status as a social determinant of health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 19-28.
    5. Zai Liang & Bo Zhou, 2016. "The Effects of Legal Status on Employment and Health Outcomes among Low-Skilled Chinese Immigrants in New York City," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 666(1), pages 150-163, July.

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