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Immigrant Legal Status and Health: Legal Status Disparities in Chronic Conditions and Musculoskeletal Pain Among Mexican-Born Farm Workers in the United States

Author

Listed:
  • Erin R. Hamilton

    (University of California, Davis)

  • Jo Mhairi Hale

    (University of St Andrews
    Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research)

  • Robin Savinar

    (University of California, Davis)

Abstract

Immigrant legal status determines access to the rights and privileges of U.S. society. Legal status may be conceived of as a fundamental cause of health, producing a health disparity whereby unauthorized immigrants are disadvantaged relative to authorized immigrants, a perspective that is supported by research on legal status disparities in self-rated health and mental health. We conducted a systematic review of the literature on legal status disparities in physical health and examined whether a legal status disparity exists in chronic conditions and musculoskeletal pain among 17,462 Mexican-born immigrants employed as farm workers in the United States and surveyed in the National Agricultural Workers Survey between 2000 and 2015. We found that unauthorized, Mexican-born farm workers have a lower incidence of chronic conditions and lower prevalence of pain compared with authorized farm workers. Furthermore, we found a legal status gradient in health whereby naturalized U.S. citizens report the worst health, followed by legal permanent residents and unauthorized immigrants. Although inconsistent with fundamental cause theory, our results were robust to alternative specifications and consistent with a small body of existing research on legal status disparities in physical health. Although it is well known that Mexican immigrants have better-than-expected health outcomes given their social disadvantage, we suggest that an epidemiologic paradox may also apply to within-immigrant disparities by legal status. We offer several explanations for the counterintuitive result.

Suggested Citation

  • Erin R. Hamilton & Jo Mhairi Hale & Robin Savinar, 2019. "Immigrant Legal Status and Health: Legal Status Disparities in Chronic Conditions and Musculoskeletal Pain Among Mexican-Born Farm Workers in the United States," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 56(1), pages 1-24, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:demogr:v:56:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1007_s13524-018-0746-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s13524-018-0746-8
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Erika Arenas & Noreen Goldman & Anne Pebley & Graciela Teruel, 2015. "Return Migration to Mexico: Does Health Matter?," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 52(6), pages 1853-1868, December.
    2. Matthew Hall & Emily Greenman, 2015. "The Occupational Cost of Being Illegal in the United States: Legal Status, Job Hazards, and Compensating Differentials," International Migration Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(2), pages 406-442, June.
    3. James D. Bachmeier & Jennifer Van Hook & Frank D. Bean, 2014. "Can We Measure Immigrants' Legal Status? Lessons from Two U.S. Surveys," International Migration Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(2), pages 538-566, June.
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    6. Fernando Riosmena & Randall Kuhn & Warren C. Jochem, 2017. "Explaining the Immigrant Health Advantage: Self-selection and Protection in Health-Related Factors Among Five Major National-Origin Immigrant Groups in the United States," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 54(1), pages 175-200, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Black, Nicole & Kunz, Johannes S., 2024. "The intergenerational effects of language proficiency on child health outcomes: Evidence from survey- and Census-matched health care records," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 225(C), pages 136-152.
    2. Erin R. Hamilton & Caitlin Patler & Robin Savinar, 2022. "Immigrant Legal Status Disparities in Health Among First- and One-point-five-Generation Latinx Immigrants in California," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(3), pages 1241-1260, June.
    3. Erin R. Hamilton & Pedro P. Orraca-Romano & Eunice Vargas Valle, 2023. "Legal Status, Deportation, and the Health of Returned Migrants from the USA to Mexico," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 42(2), pages 1-12, April.
    4. Nakphong, Michelle K. & De Trinidad Young, Maria-Elena & Morales, Brenda & Guzman-Ruiz, Iris Y. & Chen, Lei & Kietzman, Kathryn G., 2022. "Social exclusion at the intersections of immigration, employment, and healthcare policy: A qualitative study of Mexican and Chinese immigrants in California," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 298(C).
    5. Diaz, Christina J. & Samayoa, Erick & Chavez, Sergio & Bejarano, Victoria, 2024. "Away from home, into the fields: Assessing the health of undocumented and indigenous farmworkers," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 360(C).
    6. Annie Ro & Jennifer Hook, 2022. "Comparing the Effectiveness of Assignment Strategies for Estimating Likely Undocumented Status in Secondary Data Sources for Latino and Asian Immigrants," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 41(2), pages 449-464, April.
    7. Nicole Black & Johannes S. Kunz, 2024. "The Intergenerational Effects of Language Proficiency on Child Health Outcomes: Evidence from Survey- and Census-matched Health Care Records," Papers 2024-11, Centre for Health Economics, Monash University.
    8. Courtney E. Boen & Rebecca Anna Schut & Nick Graetz, 2024. "The Painful and Chilling Effects of Legal Violence: Immigration Enforcement and Racialized Legal Status Inequities in Worker Well-Being," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 43(2), pages 1-29, April.

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