Hispanics make up a rapidly growing proportion of the U.S. older adult population, so a firm grasp of their mortality patterns is paramount for identifying racial/ethnic differences in life chances in the population as a whole. Documentation of Hispanic mortality is also essential for assessing whether the Hispanic paradox—the similarity in death rates between Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites despite Hispanics’ socioeconomic disadvantage—characterizes all adult Hispanics or just some age, gender, nativity, or national-origin subgroups. We estimate age-/sex- and cause-specific mortality rate ratios and life expectancy for foreign-born and U.S.-born Hispanics, foreign-born and U.S.-born Mexican Americans, non-Hispanic blacks, and non-Hispanic whites ages 65 and older using the 1989–2006 National Health Interview Survey Linked Mortality Files. Results affirm that Hispanic mortality estimates are favorable relative to those of blacks and whites, but particularly so for foreign-born Hispanics 1 and smoking-related causes. However, if not for Hispanics’ socioeconomic disadvantage, their mortality levels would be even more favorable.
In this paper we examine smoking prevalence and frequency among Asian and Latino U.S. immigrants, focusing on how gender differences in smoking behavior are shaped by aspects of acculturation and the original decision to migrate. We draw on data from 3,249 immigrant adults included in the 2002-2003 National Latino and Asian American Study. Findings confirm the gender gap in smoking, which is larger among Asian than Latino immigrants. While regression models reveal that gender differences in smoking prevalence, among both immigrant groups, are not explained with adjustment for measures of acculturation and migration decisions, adjustment for these factors does reduce gender differences in smoking frequency to non-significance. Following, we examine gender-stratified models and test whether aspects of migration decisions and acculturation relate more strongly to smoking behavior among women; we find that patterns are complex and depend upon pan-ethnic group and smoking measure.
Objectives
This study examines how the linkage of surveys to death records differs for Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites and how such differences impact estimates of ethnic differences in U.S. adult mortality.
Methods
I use data from the 1989–2000 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) linked to the National Death Index (NDI) through 2002. Analyses assess how match score and match class vary by ethnicity, nativity, and age and whether mortality hazard ratios are sensitive to shifts in match criteria.
Results
Linkage quality is lower for Hispanic and foreign-born adults than for non-Hispanic white and U.S.-born adults. Modification of the linkage criteria determine whether or not the Hispanic mortality advantage is observed among middle-aged adults.
Discussion
The accuracy of adult mortality estimates depends on the quality of the linkage between surveys and death records.
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