Does an Immigrant Health Advantage Exist Among U.S. Whites? Evidence From a Nationally Representative Examination of Mental and Physical Well-Being

Read, Jen’nan G. 2024. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health.

Past studies have suggested that immigrants to the U.S. initially have better health than their U.S.-born counterparts. However, this phenomenon has rarely been examined among White immigrants in particular. In this study, Dr. Read assesses health differences between U.S.-born and foreign-born Whites using six measures; these measures include self-reported conditions (depression, anxiety, fair/poor self-rated health) and diagnosed conditions (hypertension, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). 

Dr. Read found that foreign-born Whites were significantly less likely than U.S.-born Whites to have these negative health outcomes. When the data was adjusted for sociodemographic and healthcare characteristics, the differences in all three self-reported conditions and in diagnosed hypertension remained significant. However, gaps in diagnosis of diabetes and COPD were reduced to the point of being non-significant. These results indicate an important variation in health among Whites that must be considered, especially when this group is used as a reference category in other research on health disparities.