title: Immigrant-native differences in child health: does maternal education narrow or widen the gap?
abstract: Abundant U.S. research documents an "immigrant advantage" in children's physical health. This article extends consideration to the United Kingdom, permitting examination of a broader group of immigrants from disparate regions of the world and different socioeconomic backgrounds. Drawing on birth cohort data (ages 0-5) from both countries (n=4,139 and n=13,381), the analysis considers whether the children of immigrants have a physical and mental health advantage around the beginning of elementary school, and whether advantage is more pronounced among low-educated populations. Findings indicate that the children of immigrants are not uniformly healthier than those in native-born families. Rather, there is heterogeneity in the immigrant advantage across outcomes, and evidence of both greater advantage and disadvantage among children in low-educated immigrant families.
authors.affiliation: Brown University Department of Sociology, Box 1916, Providence, RI 02912, USA. tomargotj@brown.edu
authors.forename: Margot I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kiernan
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: McLanahan
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare / Q000208:ethnology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004522:Educational Status; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008603:Mental Health; D009035:Mothers / Q000193:education / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006113:United Kingdom