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Substance Use Across Different Phases of the Migration Process: A Survey of Mexican Migrants Flows

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Abstract

This study examined the levels of substance use and changes across different migration stages, including pre-departure, travel, destination, and return, among Mexican migrants converging on the US–Mexico border. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Tijuana, Mexico, between 2009 and 2010 among Mexican migrants returning from the US and those travelling from other Mexican regions. The overall prevalence of last 12-month at-risk drinking, illicit drug use, and current smoking, was 42.3, 17.7 and 31.4 %, respectively. Compared to pre-departure migrants, males were at increased risk for illicit drug use at the destination and return stages. In contrast, females’ alcohol consumption at the destination stage was lower than at pre-departure (p < 0.05). The level of smoking was stable across all stages for both genders. In the destination stage, undocumented migrants were more likely to use illicit drugs relative to their documented peers (p < 0.05). Binational interventions promoting substance use reduction are needed among this mobile population.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 610 N. Walnut St., 630 WARF, Madison, WI, 53726, USA

    Xiao Zhang

  2. Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 610 N. Walnut St., 605 WARF, Madison, WI, 53726, USA

    Ana P. Martinez-Donate

  3. Department of Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 4406 Sewell Social Sciences, 1180 Observatory Dr., Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    Jenna Nobles

  4. Center for Behavioral Epidemiology and Community Health, San Diego State University, 9245 Sky Park Ct., Suite 230, San Diego, CA, 92123, USA

    Melbourne F. Hovell

  5. Departamento de Estudios de Poblacion, El Colegio de la Frontera Norte, Tijuana, Mexico

    Maria Gudelia Rangel

  6. Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 610 N. Walnut St., 632 WARF, Madison, WI, 53726, USA

    Natalie M. Rhoads

Authors
  1. Xiao Zhang
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  2. Ana P. Martinez-Donate
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  4. Melbourne F. Hovell
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ana P. Martinez-Donate.

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Zhang, X., Martinez-Donate, A.P., Nobles, J. et al. Substance Use Across Different Phases of the Migration Process: A Survey of Mexican Migrants Flows. J Immigrant Minority Health 17, 1746–1757 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-014-0109-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-014-0109-5

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