Asian New Immigrants and Health

Jibum Kim, University of Chicago
Talya Salant, University of Chicago

In this study, microdata from the 2000 US Census provided a unique opportunity to describe and better understand the health status of 6 Asian immigrant groups aged 16 over who immigrated to the US in 2000. Using data collected the same year of immigration served to minimize any confounding effect of acculturation on health outcomes. Mobility limitation was used for the regression analysis. After controlling for age, sex, English skills, marital status, and personal income (log), Japanese immigrants were least likely to have mobility limitations than any other Asian subgroup. On this health measure, Asian Indians were less likely to have mobility limitations than Filipinos, but did not differ significantly from Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese immigrants. The subgroup differences among new immigrants from Asia in 2000 contribute to our understanding of the complexity of immigrant health; they suggest that not all who immigrate are equally healthy.