Dr. Tod G. Hamilton, Department of Sociology and Office of Population Research, Princeton University

February 17, 2015

12:30PM - 1:30PM

038 Townshend Hall

Add to Calendar 2015-02-17 12:30:00 2015-02-17 13:30:00 Dr. Tod G. Hamilton, Department of Sociology and Office of Population Research, Princeton University "Selective Migration and the Health of Black Immigrants”A large literature documents that immigrants report better health than their U.S.-born counterparts upon arrival in the United States. This health advantage, however, erodes as immigrants’ tenure in the United States increases—a health pattern termed the “healthy immigrant effect.” Yet few studies evaluate whether black immigrants—a group that accounted for more than 20% of the growth of the black population in the 2000s—exhibit a similar health pattern. Using data from the 1996 to 2013 waves of the March Current Population Survey (CPS), the current study examines whether black immigrants from the Caribbean and Africa—the primary source regions of black immigrants in the United States—display the pattern of health observed for other immigrant subgroups. The results suggest that while most arrival cohorts of black immigrants report more favorable health than their U.S.-born black counterparts upon arrival in the United States, the health of black immigrants, particularly those from the Caribbean, declines significantly as their U.S. tenure increases. 038 Townshend Hall Institute for Population Research popcenter@osu.edu America/New_York public

"Selective Migration and the Health of Black Immigrants”

A large literature documents that immigrants report better health than their U.S.-born counterparts upon arrival in the United States. This health advantage, however, erodes as immigrants’ tenure in the United States increases—a health pattern termed the “healthy immigrant effect.” Yet few studies evaluate whether black immigrants—a group that accounted for more than 20% of the growth of the black population in the 2000s—exhibit a similar health pattern. Using data from the 1996 to 2013 waves of the March Current Population Survey (CPS), the current study examines whether black immigrants from the Caribbean and Africa—the primary source regions of black immigrants in the United States—display the pattern of health observed for other immigrant subgroups. The results suggest that while most arrival cohorts of black immigrants report more favorable health than their U.S.-born black counterparts upon arrival in the United States, the health of black immigrants, particularly those from the Caribbean, declines significantly as their U.S. tenure increases.