Mexican migrants traveling through the U.S.-Mexico border region represent a large, highly mobile, and socially vulnerable subset of Mexican nationals. Population-level health data for this group is hard to obtain given their geographic dispersion, mobility, and largely undocumented status. Over the last 9 years, we have adopted a unique migration framework and novel methodological approach to characterize disease burden, health behaviors, and exposure to protective and risk factors among these migrants. We have implemented probability surveys of Mexican migrant flows in Tijuana, Mexico, producing population-level health estimates for migrants in the premigration, transit, destination, interception/deportation, and return phases. To date, we have examined two health areas: HIV risk and access to health care. Findings from our previous phase have propelled the establishment of free prevention clinics in five deportation stations along the Mexican border with funding from the Mexican Secretariat of Health. Over the next 5 years, we propose to continue and expand this work by (a) extending the survey east to two additional border cities in order to reach migrants traveling from, through, and to other regions; and (b) examining additional health areas to obtain a more complete picture of Mexican migrant health. We will conduct 3 probability surveys of migrant flows in Tijuana, Nogales, and Nuevo Laredo (N=1,200 ea.). In addition to data on health status and health care access, each survey will have a special focus: 1) HIV and Sexual/Reproductive Health; 2) Non-communicable Disease; and 3) Mental Health and Substance Use. Interview and biometric data will be obtained to produce population-level estimates of health care access and health status, investigate variations in access and outcomes across migration phases, and explore the impact of health care and immigration policies on migrants' health. Ninety survey respondents will be enrolled in a pilot longitudinal study to test the feasibility of adding a longitudinal dimension to our methods. This project will consolidate a binational observatory at the Mexico ? U.S. border and will generate critical data on migrant health. The data will become an important resource for migrant health scholars and will inform policy and programmatic responses to increase access to health care and improve the health status of migrants in sending, transit, and receiving communities.

Public Health Relevance

This continuation project will consolidate a binational observatory at the Mexico-U.S. border to characterize the health needs and health care access of Mexican migrants to and from the U.S. The data will increase our understanding of the factors that impact migrant health and inform policies and programs to protect this socially vulnerable population.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
2R01HD046886-10A1
Application #
9659445
Study Section
Social Sciences and Population Studies B Study Section (SSPB)
Program Officer
Bures, Regina M
Project Start
2007-09-13
Project End
2024-05-31
Budget Start
2019-06-15
Budget End
2020-05-31
Support Year
10
Fiscal Year
2019
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Drexel University
Department
Public Health & Prev Medicine
Type
Schools of Public Health
DUNS #
002604817
City
Philadelphia
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
19102
Diaz, Christina J; Zeng, Liwen; Martinez-Donate, Ana P (2018) Investigating Health Selection Within Mexico and Across the US Border. Popul Res Policy Rev 37:181-204
Martinez-Donate, Ana P; Zhang, Xiao; Gudelia Rangel, M et al. (2018) Does Acculturative Stress Influence Immigrant Sexual HIV Risk and HIV Testing Behavior? Evidence from a Survey of Male Mexican Migrants. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities 5:798-807
Zhang, Xiao; Rhoads, Natalie; Rangel, Maria Gudelia et al. (2017) Understanding the Impact of Migration on HIV Risk: An Analysis of Mexican Migrants' Sexual Practices, Partners, and Contexts by Migration Phase. AIDS Behav 21:935-948
Zhang, Xiao; Martinez-Donate, Ana P; Simon, Norma-Jean E et al. (2017) Risk behaviours for HIV infection among travelling Mexican migrants: The Mexico-US border as a contextual risk factor. Glob Public Health 12:65-83
Martinez-Donate, Ana P; Ejebe, Ifna; Zhang, Xiao et al. (2017) Access to Health Care among Mexican Migrants and Immigrants: A Comparison across Migration Phases. J Health Care Poor Underserved 28:1314-1326
Guerrero, Natalie; Zhang, Xiao; Rangel, Gudelia et al. (2016) Cervical and Breast Cancer Screening Among Mexican Migrant Women, 2013. Prev Chronic Dis 13:E104
Diaz, Christina J; Koning, Stephanie M; Martinez-Donate, Ana P (2016) Moving Beyond Salmon Bias: Mexican Return Migration and Health Selection. Demography 53:2005-2030
Martinez-Donate, Ana P; Rangel, M Gudelia; Zhang, Xiao et al. (2015) HIV Prevention Among Mexican Migrants at Different Migration Phases: Exposure to Prevention Messages and Association With Testing Behaviors. AIDS Educ Prev 27:547-65
Zhang, Xiao; Martinez-Donate, Ana P; Nobles, Jenna et al. (2015) Substance Use Across Different Phases of the Migration Process: A Survey of Mexican Migrants Flows. J Immigr Minor Health 17:1746-57
Ejebe, Ifna H; Zhang, Xiao; Rangel, Maria Gudelia et al. (2015) Seasonal influenza vaccination among Mexican migrants traveling through the Mexico-US border region. Prev Med 71:57-60

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