Posted on October 31, 2005 at 12:45 p.m.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Children of immigrants have a significantly lower rate of injury than children of low-income, U.S.-born parents, according to researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

study, published in a recent issue of the journal Health Psychology, is the first published investigation of whether children of immigrants have a different injury rate than children of U.S.-born parents.

“Children of immigrants make up a rapidly growing segment of the American population,” said UAB psychologist David Schwebel, Ph.D., who led the study. “And it’s important for a number of political, economic, public health and other reasons to understand the health and health processes of all portions of the population.”

In the study, researchers examined a sample of more than 5,000 five-year-olds in 30 Head Start transition programs. Thirteen percent of the children had mothers who had immigrated from Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Caribbean and South and Southeast Asia. The immigration status of the fathers was not assessed in this study.

The researchers looked at a number of variables, including whether the family maintained regular routines, such as family meals and bedtimes, as well as the parenting approaches and beliefs of the mother. They also assessed the children’s gender, the poverty level of the families, the families’ access to health care, the presence of the fathers and whether other adults in the family helped with parenting.

The study found that overall about 27 percent of the children of U.S.-born mothers experienced an injury requiring professional medical attention in the prior year, but only 13 percent of the immigrant sample required medical attention for an injury.

Hispanic and Asian-American immigrants had the lowest injury rates, with only 11 percent of each group experiencing an injury in the past year, according to the study. Black immigrants also reported a low rate of injury at 16 percent. But, white immigrants had a rate of 28 percent, similar to that of children of U.S.-born mothers, at 27 percent.

Although the study does not provide definitive explanations for the findings, it does encourage further research to determine appropriate interventions to prevent injuries, Schwebel said.

“By examining groups, such as immigrant groups, who appear to be protected from injuries, the research could one day lead to the development of injury prevention techniques for all children” Schwebel said.

Data for the study came from the National Head Start/Public School Early Childhood Transition Demonstration Study. The study’s co-authors were Carl Brezausek with the UAB Center for Educational Accountability and Craig T. Ramey, Ph.D., and Sharon L. Ramey, Ph.D., at Georgetown University.