Children of Immigrants

Children of Immigrants
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 673
Release: 1999-11-12
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0309065453

Immigrant children and youth are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population, and so their prospects bear heavily on the well-being of the country. Children of Immigrants represents some of the very best and most extensive research efforts to date on the circumstances, health, and development of children in immigrant families and the delivery of health and social services to these children and their families. This book presents new, detailed analyses of more than a dozen existing datasets that constitute a large share of the national system for monitoring the health and well-being of the U.S. population. Prior to these new analyses, few of these datasets had been used to assess the circumstances of children in immigrant families. The analyses enormously expand the available knowledge about the physical and mental health status and risk behaviors, educational experiences and outcomes, and socioeconomic and demographic circumstances of first- and second-generation immigrant children, compared with children with U.S.-born parents.

Hispanics and the Future of America

Hispanics and the Future of America
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 502
Release: 2006-02-23
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0309164818

Hispanics and the Future of America presents details of the complex story of a population that varies in many dimensions, including national origin, immigration status, and generation. The papers in this volume draw on a wide variety of data sources to describe the contours of this population, from the perspectives of history, demography, geography, education, family, employment, economic well-being, health, and political engagement. They provide a rich source of information for researchers, policy makers, and others who want to better understand the fast-growing and diverse population that we call "Hispanic." The current period is a critical one for getting a better understanding of how Hispanics are being shaped by the U.S. experience. This will, in turn, affect the United States and the contours of the Hispanic future remain uncertain. The uncertainties include such issues as whether Hispanics, especially immigrants, improve their educational attainment and fluency in English and thereby improve their economic position; whether growing numbers of foreign-born Hispanics become citizens and achieve empowerment at the ballot box and through elected office; whether impending health problems are successfully averted; and whether Hispanics' geographic dispersal accelerates their spatial and social integration. The papers in this volume provide invaluable information to explore these issues.

The Effects of State-Level Omnibus Immigrant Laws on Pregnancy Outcomes Among Latina Women in the US

The Effects of State-Level Omnibus Immigrant Laws on Pregnancy Outcomes Among Latina Women in the US
Author: Amanda Landrian Gonzalez
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2023
Genre:
ISBN:

Preterm birth and low birth weight are the leading causes of infant morbidity and mortality, are associated with an increased risk of poor health and economic outcomes throughout the life course and are an important indicator of overall population health. In the US, disparities in these outcomes exist across both race/ethnicity and nativity status, whereby US- and foreign-born Latina women are more likely to experience preterm birth and low birth weight than US-born white women. Latina women are also less likely than their white counterparts to utilize prenatal care, an important determinant of adverse birth outcomes. These disparities persist even after controlling for socioeconomic indicators, health behaviors, and medical risk factors, pointing to sociopolitical factors, like state-level policy, as potential causes.States have increasingly set their own immigrant policy agenda, passing restrictive policies denying immigrants' rights and access to health-promoting resources. Omnibus immigrant laws are considered the harshest state-level immigrant policies to ever pass in the United States (US). These laws were passed with the explicit intent to drive immigrants to "self-deport" by severely regulating their daily life across multiple domains within a single bill. It is suggested that restrictive immigrant policies like omnibus laws had deleterious effects on pregnancy outcomes among Latina women, regardless of their nativity status, due to widespread stress and fear, increased experiences of racial profiling and discrimination, and decreased access to beneficial social institutions and material conditions following their passage. However, to date, no studies have considered the totality of omnibus immigrant laws enacted across the US states and their potential effects on pregnancy outcomes among Latina women. Moreover, questions remain related to the extent that US-born Latinas would be affected by omnibus immigrant laws, especially given that these laws do not explicitly target US-born individuals as written. Finally, it has been posited that differences in the effects of restrictive immigrant laws may also exist across national origin subgroups; however, to date, no studies have formally evaluated potential differences in the health effects of restrictive immigrant laws across national origin subgroups of Latinos. This dissertation utilized national natality data from 2005 to 2014, encompassing the period during which omnibus immigrant legislation was passed across the US states, and a quasi-experimental interrupted time series design to: 1) determine the effects of omnibus immigrant laws on preterm birth, low birth weight, late entry into prenatal care, and inadequate prenatal care utilization, respectively, among Latina women in the US; 2) understand differences in these effects across nativity status, comparing outcomes among foreign-born versus US-born Latina women; and 3) determine if differences in the effects of omnibus immigrant laws on pregnancy outcomes exist across the largest national origin subgroups of Latinos in the US, comparing outcomes among women of Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban origin or descent. I found substantial evidence that the passage of omnibus immigrant laws caused a significant increase in the odds of preterm birth among Latina women, largely driven by effects among infants born to foreign-born Latinas generally and Mexican-born Latinas specifically. I also found evidence that the passage of omnibus immigrant laws resulted in an increased odds of preterm birth among all Latinas of Mexican origin or descent, regardless of nativity status. I also find some evidence that the passage of omnibus immigrant law resulted in an increased odds of low birth weight among infants born to foreign-born women from Mexico and Latina women of Mexican and Puerto Rican origin or descent, respectively, but a decreased odds of low birth weight among women of Cuban origin or descent. Moreover, although omnibus immigrant laws had either no effect on late entry into prenatal care or resulted in an improvement in the timing of prenatal care initiation for some groups, I found that their passage led to an increase in the odds of inadequate prenatal care utilization among foreign- and US-born Latinas, foreign-born Latinas from Mexico, and women of Puerto Rican and Cuban origin or descent, respectively. This suggests that the passage of omnibus immigrant laws may be more likely to impact women's ability to attend all the recommended number of prenatal care visits throughout pregnancy rather than the timing of prenatal care initiation. Notably, unlike my findings related to preterm birth which were extremely robust to sensitivity analyses, findings related to the effects of omnibus immigrant laws on low birth weight and prenatal care indicators were more likely to be sensitive to the inclusion of specific states (or policies) in the analytic model. This suggests that the extent that omnibus immigrant laws influence these outcomes may depend more on the specific provisions (or mix of provisions) included within each omnibus immigrant law and other factors of the local and state context. Finally, although I found limited evidence that the passage of omnibus immigrant laws resulted in significant spillover effects when assessing outcomes among US-born Latinas generally, my finding that their passage resulted in poorer pregnancy outcomes among those of Puerto Rican origin or descent provides evidence that these laws may still result in negative health outcomes even among those individuals not directly targeted by the laws as written (as all Puerto Ricans would have US citizenship regardless of whether or not they are born on the island or within the 50 US states). This dissertation adds to a growing body of literature that investigates the effects of restrictive state-level immigrant policies on health outcomes among Latinos and is the first to demonstrate variability in the effects of such policies across the three largest national origin subgroups of Latinos in the US, highlighting the importance of disaggregating data in analyses to better account for the vast heterogeneity that exists among this group. These findings also have important implications for programming and policy. These findings can be used to develop interventions aimed at improving maternal and child health outcomes that are targeted toward specific communities (e.g., foreign-born Latinas or those of Mexican origin or descent) who may be particularly vulnerable to the negative consequences of restrictive immigrant policies. Additionally, although an omnibus immigrant law has not been passed in nearly a decade, immigration remains a highly salient topic in US politics and restrictive immigrant policies continue to be a central feature of the state legislative agenda. Thus, these findings not only illuminate the impacts of omnibus immigrant laws specifically, but also shed light on the potential negative effects of other state-level, single-issue restrictive immigrant policies commonly passed throughout the US each year. In turn, this dissertation research may be used to inform contemporary immigrant policy reform, debate, and advocacy work directed at both the federal and sub-federal levels.

Multiple Origins, Uncertain Destinies

Multiple Origins, Uncertain Destinies
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 176
Release: 2006-02-23
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0309165075

Given current demographic trends, nearly one in five U.S. residents will be of Hispanic origin by 2025. This major demographic shift and its implications for both the United States and the growing Hispanic population make Multiple Origins, Uncertain Destinies a most timely book. This report from the National Research Council describes how Hispanics are transforming the country as they disperse geographically. It considers their roles in schools, in the labor market, in the health care system, and in U.S. politics. The book looks carefully at the diverse populations encompassed by the term "Hispanic," representing immigrants and their children and grandchildren from nearly two dozen Spanish-speaking countries. It describes the trajectory of the younger generations and established residents, and it projects long-term trends in population aging, social disparities, and social mobility that have shaped and will shape the Hispanic experience.

From Generation to Generation

From Generation to Generation
Author: National Research Council and Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 335
Release: 1998-10-10
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0309065615

Immigrant children and youth are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population, and so their prospects bear heavily on the well-being of the country. However, relevant public policy is shaped less by informed discussion than by politicized contention over welfare reform and immigration limits. From Generation to Generation explores what we know about the development of white, black, Hispanic, and Asian children and youth from numerous countries of origin. Describing the status of immigrant children and youth as "severely understudied," the committee both draws on and supplements existing research to characterize the current status and outlook of immigrant children. The book discusses the many factorsâ€"family size, fluency in English, parent employment, acculturation, delivery of health and social services, and public policiesâ€"that shape the outlook for the lives of these children and youth. The committee makes recommendations for improved research and data collection designed to advance knowledge about these children and, as a result, their visibility in current policy debates.

Critical Perspectives on Racial and Ethnic Differences in Health in Late Life

Critical Perspectives on Racial and Ethnic Differences in Health in Late Life
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 753
Release: 2004-10-16
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0309092116

In their later years, Americans of different racial and ethnic backgrounds are not in equally good-or equally poor-health. There is wide variation, but on average older Whites are healthier than older Blacks and tend to outlive them. But Whites tend to be in poorer health than Hispanics and Asian Americans. This volume documents the differentials and considers possible explanations. Selection processes play a role: selective migration, for instance, or selective survival to advanced ages. Health differentials originate early in life, possibly even before birth, and are affected by events and experiences throughout the life course. Differences in socioeconomic status, risk behavior, social relations, and health care all play a role. Separate chapters consider the contribution of such factors and the biopsychosocial mechanisms that link them to health. This volume provides the empirical evidence for the research agenda provided in the separate report of the Panel on Race, Ethnicity, and Health in Later Life.