The overall goal of this application is an integrated research agenda, locating research on Mexico's potentially unique old-age health dynamics in a broad socioeconomic context which includes family migration strategies and transfer behaviors.
The specific aims of the project are to: examine the aging processes and its disease and disability burden, across multiple health domains, in a large representative sample of older Mexicans; evaluate the effects of individual behaviors, migration history, community characteristics, socioeconomic status and transfers on multiple health outcomes; estimate models of health transitions and assess the effects of socioeconomic status, antecedent behaviors, risk factors, and environmental conditions on the rate and pace of transitions for older Mexicans; compare health dynamics of older Mexicans with comparably aged Mexican-born migrants and second generation migrants using comparable data from the biennial HRS/AHEAD and the NHANES III in order to assess the durability of the purported health advantage of migrants; assess the health of all components of the population from which migrants were selectively recruited, including first-generation Mexican-Americans, migrants who return to Mexico after various length stays in the U. S. and Mexicans with no history of residency in the U. S.; and, consider the ways in which intergenerational transfer systems affect old-age health dynamics in a country where migration is commonplace and remittances may repay prior human and social capital investments or insure against uncertainty in old age. To accomplish these objectives, this application requests support for two waves of data collection (in 2000 and 2002) for the Mexican Health and Aging Survey (MHAS), a nationally representative sample of Mexicans aged 50 and over and their spouse/partners. Approximately 16,830 eligible persons will be identified in conjunction with the 2000 National Employment Survey (Encuesta Nacionai de Empleo, ENE). Face-to-face interviews, averaging 80 minutes in length, will collect data on health conditions, functional status, hygienic behaviors, and use of health services (cognitive performance and anthropometric features will be directly measured), attributes of kin and transfer behaviors across the family network; migration history of respondents, children, and siblings; economic measures, and community-level variables. Data files for both waves of data will be publicly distributed. Our analysis methods include multi-state, GoM and other multivariate models of health and transfer outcomes with adjustments for possible migration-selectivity and unobserved heterogeneity.
Showing the most recent 10 out of 114 publications
