title: (Un)Healthy immigrant citizens: naturalization and activity limitations in older age.
abstract: This research argues that immigrants' political, social, and economic incorporation experiences, which are embedded in individual life course trajectories and heavily influenced by governmental policies, play an important role in producing diverse health outcomes among older U.S. foreign-born persons. Using data from the 2008-2010 American Community Survey and 1998-2010 Integrated Health Interview Series, we demonstrate how naturalization, a key indicator of social and political inclusion, is related to functional health in midlife and older age. Consistent with the theoretical framework, we find that among those foreign-born who immigrated as children and young adults, naturalized citizens show better health at older ages compared with noncitizens, although this relationship is partly mediated by education. But among those older foreign-born who immigrated at middle and older ages, naturalized citizens report worse health compared with noncitizens. Moreover, this negative health selection into naturalization becomes stronger for those naturalizing after the 1996 Welfare Reform Act.
authors: 1University at Albany, SUNY, Albany, NY, USA.
authors: Zoya
authors: Z
authors: Gubernskaya
authors: Frank D
authors: FD
authors: Bean
authors: Jennifer
authors: J
authors: Van Hook
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology*; D004641:Emigration and Immigration / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000592:standards*; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D016015:Logistic Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D011640:Public Policy; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: American Community Survey (ACS); Integrated Health Interview Series (IHIS); activity limitations; aging; functional limitations; immigrant health paradox; naturalization; older immigrants; selection mechanisms