Historical improvements in Hispanic immigrants' physical health in midlife and old age

Despite the advantages proposed by the healthy immigrant effect, less is known regarding whether recent cohorts of Hispanic immigrants are exhibiting better or worse physical health than their earlier born peers and how this relates to broader trends that have been transpiring in the United States. We examined whether physical health has changed across cohorts of middle-aged and older adult Hispanic immigrants living in the United States. We also explored the moderating role of gender, education, and timing of immigration.

Multilevel models were applied to longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study to examine historical changes in trajectories of health conditions, physical functioning, and grip strength among Hispanic immigrants (N = 3,007, 56% women, birth year: M = 1948, range: 1890-1968) in midlife and old age.

Health conditions remained relatively stable across birth cohorts, whereas successive cohorts of Hispanic immigrants demonstrated better physical functioning (i.e., fewer activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, and mobility difficulties) and grip strength in midlife and old age. Gender, education, age at immigration, and year of immigration did not moderate historical change across outcomes.

Historical improvements in Hispanic immigrants' physical health in midlife and old age contrast with the broader trends observed in the U.S. population, suggesting that there could be aspects of immigrant development and aging that may promote historical improvements in physical health. Our discussion focuses on potential explanations for historical improvements and provides avenues for future research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).