Feng Wang Georgiana Bostean University of California, Irvine
This dissertation uses nationally-representative secondary data from Mexico and the United States to examine the factors that shape U.S. Latino immigrant health outcomes. Specifically, it asks to what extent selective migration and cultural/social protection play a role in determining Latino immigrants? health outcomes. In examining cultural/social protection, this study also pays particular attention to the role of family context, such as marital status, parenthood, household composition, and level of family conflict and cohesion, in shaping immigrant health. It contributes to sociological literature by shedding light on the importance of social processes and institutions, namely migration and family, in shaping population health and health inequalities. The broader impacts include elucidating some of the mechanisms that shape the health of a minority population, Latino immigrants, and illuminating issues surrounding the health of immigrant families and the impact of family migration on health that may guide immigration and health policies.
