Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Identifier

6091

Daisy Angeles

Date

2017

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Major

Sociology

Committee Chair

Joseph Lariscy

Committee Member

Gretchen Peterson

Committee Member

Wesley James

Abstract

Sociological and medical research on Hispanic health often emphasizes the phenomenon termed the "Hispanic Paradox;" however, it is currently unclear whether this applies equally for Hispanics who only speak Spanish, speak both English and Spanish, or exclusively speak English. I conduct a two-step analysis using data from 2005 and 2010 from the National Health Interview Survey to examine how race, ethnicity, and language influence various health measures, controlling for sex, age, and education. Findings from the first analytic stage demonstrate that there is significant health heterogeneity within the Hispanic group because of communication barriers. Findings from the second analytic stage show that Hispanics generally exhibit worse physical health, mental health, and access to healthcare than non-Hispanic whites, regardless of language spoken. Overall, my findings suggest that Hispanics' health can differ, and language should be paid attention to because Spanish language-use is not always protective to health, especially in healthcare access.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to the local University of Memphis Electronic Theses & dissertation (ETD) Repository.

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