Disability among Native-Born and Foreign-Born Black Residents in the United States: Evidence from the 2000 Census of Population and the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), 2000-2006

Irma T Elo, University of Pennsylvania
Neil Mehta, University of Pennsylvania
Cheng Huang, Emory University

Utilizing data from the 2000 Census of Population, we examine differences in physical and personal care disability among native- and foreign-born blacks in the US. We distinguish among immigrants from the Caribbean/West Indies, Africa, and other regions, and examine disability by age at entry and duration of US residence. We compare the results based on the Census data to those based the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data for 2000-2006. Overall, foreign-born blacks report less disability than native-born blacks. African-born blacks possess a more advantageous health status as compared with Caribbean/West Indian-born blacks, but this difference is explained by the higher educational achievement of African-born blacks. Longer duration of US residence is associated with higher reported disability among foreign-born blacks, yet foreign-born blacks regardless of age at entry or year of entry report significantly less disability than native-born blacks.