Migration and Infant Health in Mexico: New Evidence and Emerging Patterns

Reanne Frank, University of Texas at Austin

The present analysis aims to link the social epidemiological aspects of infant health with the migratory process. In contrast to past research studies, this analysis will investigate how the relationship between Mexican migration and infant health plays out within Mexico instead of within the United States. We will expand the discussion on migration and infant health to include the way that health and migration interact within the origin country. The analysis utilizes a unique and new data set that comes from a recent postpartum survey administered to 600 women who gave birth in eight different public hospitals in Mexico. We examine the relationship between migration experience and infant health outcomes within Mexico. Furthermore, given the high degree of detail in the survey, this new data set enables us to determine the mechanisms contributing to these patterns.