Background Immigrants have disparate access to employment and health insurance, but it is unclear whether differences in access exist by visa types and job skill. We examined the relationship between visa type and employment, and the association between job skill and health insurance.Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the 2003 to 2004 and 2007 to 2009 longitudinal data from the New Immigrant Survey. Using logistic regression, we compared the odds of employment by visa type (immediate relatives/family sponsored; diversity; refugee/asylee/parolee; and legalization) and the odds of insurance by job skill level (high, medium, and low), at each survey wave and assessed the change in each outcome over time.Results More immigrants were employed in wave 2 than in wave 1 (74% vs. 58%). Those with refugee/asylee/parolee visas had the highest rate of employment (82%) in wave 1 but decreased in wave 2 (76.4% ). Those with diversity visas had the highest increase in employment over time (56.6% in wave 1 vs. 85.5% in wave 2). The odds of insurance were consistently high among immigrants in high skill level jobs compared to those in lower skill level jobs over time.Conclusion Those with the diversity visa may be most vulnerable to unemployment and those in medium and low skill level jobs may be most vulnerable to uninsurance. They may benefit the most from job placement support in industries offering skill building, career advancement and health insurance to ensure best use of their human capital and continued upward mobility.
Background
Resettled refugees have a lower risk of obesity at arrival but over time this risk increases. We systematically investigated the association between refugee status and obesity after resettlement in a high-income nation.
Methods
We searched PubMed, Embase, OpenGrey and bibliographies of retrieved articles, with no date, location, and language restrictions, for observational studies assessing obesity rates in resettled refugees compared to the host population.
Results
Nine studies were analyzed. We found no evidence of increased risk of obesity among refugees compared to the host population, with significant heterogeneity across studies. Only sub-analysis by sex showed a significantly increased risk of obesity among female refugees compared to the host population.
Discussion
Pooled analyses showed no increased risk of obesity among refugees in various host nations. However, the magnitude of the association between refugee status and obesity suggests a protective effect that should be explored further.
BackgroundResettled refugees have a lower risk of obesity at arrival but over time this risk increases. We systematically investigated the association between refugee status and obesity after resettlement in a high-income nation.
MethodsWe searched PubMed, Embase, OpenGrey and bibliographies of retrieved articles, with no date, location, and language restrictions, for observational studies assessing obesity rates in resettled refugees compared to the host population.
ResultsNine studies were analyzed. We found no evidence of increased risk of obesity among refugees compared to the host population, with signi cant heterogeneity across studies. Only sub-analysis by sex showed a signi cantly increased risk of obesity among female refugees compared to the host population.
DiscussionPooled analyses showed no increased risk of obesity among refugees in various host nations. However, the magnitude of the association between refugee status and obesity suggests a protective effect that should be explored further.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.