Parental nativity affects children's health and access to care.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the effect of parental nativity on child health and access to health care.


METHODS
The 2002 National Survey of America's Families.


RESULTS
Among US children, 14% have foreign-born parents; 5% have one foreign- and one native-born parent ("mixed-nativity"). In multivariate logistic regression analyses, children with foreign-born parents were less likely than children with US-born parents to be perceived in "very good" or "excellent health" [OR = 0.68; 95% CI (0.56-0.82)] and to have a usual health care site [OR = 0.52 (0.38-0.69)]; having mixed-nativity parents is associated with better perceived child health. These effects persisted for minority, but not white, children. Regardless of race and ethnicity, non-citizen children have worse access to care.


CONCLUSIONS
Efforts to improve children of immigrants' health and access to care should focus on families in which both parents are immigrants, particularly those who are ethnic or racial minorities. Efforts to increase use of health services should focus on non-citizen children.
Weathers
Andrea C
AC
Department of Maternal and Child Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health, 427 Rosenau Hall, CB# 7445, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7445, USA. andrea_weathers@unc.ecu
Novak
Scott P
SP
Sastry
Narayan
N
Norton
Edward C
EC
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D054625:Healthcare Disparities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors