Cultural persistence of self-assessed health: a study of first- and second-generation migrants

Costa-Font, Joan ORCID: 0000-0001-7174-7919, Sato, Azusa and Sanz de Miera, Belen (2024) Cultural persistence of self-assessed health: a study of first- and second-generation migrants. Journal of Migration and Health, 11. ISSN 2666-6235

Text (1-s2.0-S2666623524000692-main) - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (1MB)

Abstract

Objectives We measure the cultural persistence of health assessments; namely the association between first (and second) generation migrants' health assessments and those of their home country (and that of their parents). Measure We use individual data records from over thirty host European countries and over ninety sending countries, as well as controls for migration timing and legal citizenship status. Furthermore, we leverage a wide range of sample countries to attenuate the presence of selection bias. Results Our estimates document evidence of cultural persistence of health self-assessments in a wide array of different specifications which vary with age. We estimate that a one standard deviation change in self-reported health in the sendning country is associated with an increase in migrants’ self-reported health of about 0.17 standard deviations. The effect size is sensitive to the inclusion of country of residence fixed effects as well as the presence of selection on observables and other robustness checks. Conclusion Cross-country comparisons of self-reported health should consider cultural reference points individuals use in assessing their health.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2024 The Author(s)
Divisions:	Health Policy
Subjects:	R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine H Social Sciences
Date Deposited:	23 Oct 2024 08:27
Last Modified:	12 Dec 2024 14:48
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/125865

Actions (login required)

View Item