Life in America: Hazardous to immigrants’ health?

Faculty at the Fielding School of Public Health are trying to figure out why immigrants become unhealthier the longer they live in the U.S. Dan Gordon - Over time, the health status of immigrant groups tends to decline and faculty at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health are trying untangle the causes and promote solutions. A merica is a nation of immigrants drawn from all parts of the world by the promise of freedom and a good life. But a substantial body of evidence suggests that for the newly arrived, life in the United States can be hazardous to their well-being. When they get here, immigrants are on average healthier than their native-born American counterparts. But the longer they stay, the worse they fare on measures such as heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and mental health. Faculty at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health are working on identifying factors contributing to the declining health status of immigrant groups that's occurring over time and through the generations. Part of it has to do with an unfamiliarity with U.S. society and its complicated health care system.