Cynthia Buckley

Nativity and self-assessed health among pre-retirement age hispanics and non-hispanic whites

Economic, social and familial resources are known to influence subjective health assessments. We examine the salience of nativity in determining how these resources influence self-assessed health using a large, nationwide sample of Hispanic and non-Hispanic white adults. The results indicate that while education, accumulated assets and marital status benefit the physical and emotional health of the native and foreign-born, family resources and income are significant only for the native-born. English language proficiency is a significant protective factor for both groups and is especially protective for immigrants. These surprising findings call into question previous studies stressing the positive role of the family in maintaining immigrant health.

Rural/urban differentials in demographic processes: The Central Asian states

While the populations of the Central Asian successor states are extremely heterogeneous on many indicators, the issue of rural or urban residence is consistently important in terms of differentials in population growth, socio-economic status and public health. In this paper I focus on rural population trends in Kazakhstan, Kyrghyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. I explore the relatively disadvantaged position of rural inhabitants as well as regional variations within the rural population. The differentials in fertility and mortality rates and the large projected population increases indicate that future policy interventions and data collection efforts should incorporate a specific focus on rural areas.

Forced migration and destination choice: Armenian forced settlers and refugees in the Russian Federation

The Soviet Republic has experienced major population shifts between its 15 states since 1991. Large numbers of refugees and forced migrants are seeking asylum from successor states in Russia. The Federal Migration Service (FMS) of Russia keeps official registers of refugees and forced settlers, facilitates resettlement, and integrates migrants into society. This study examined the role of the FMS in resettling dislocated persons from Armenia to Russia. Data were obtained from official sources. 49.8% of immigrants to Russia come from the Central Republics. However, Armenias refugee and forced migrant population is a larger share of its total population (about 5%, compared to 4.4% of Central Asian republics). A 1993 survey revealed that about 70% of the urban populations in Erevan, Gyumri, and Ashtarak would leave Armenia if the opportunity arose. 50% wanted their children to emigrate. In 1989 and 1993, the top receiving areas in Russia were Krasnodarskii Krai, Rostovskaia, and Stavropolskii Krai. In 1989, about 60% of the Armenian population in Russia lived in these territories. Ordinary least squares models indicate that 30% of the variance in Armenian resettlement in Russia, was predicted by high concentrations of Armenian residents and cost of living. Other structural factors, such as unemployment, urbanization, or new construction, were unrelated. Findings suggest that individual choice may be more important in determining residential location than migration policy.

Gender and perceived control in the Russian federation

Abstract The consequences of the socioeconomic transition for male physical health in Russia are widely documented, but much less research examines psychological well-being and mental outlook, or how these outcomes differ for men and women in Russia. Exploring gender differences in personal control, an important aspect of psychological well-being, we find that, controlling for social and economic factors, Russian women report lower levels of control than men. Gender differences in the social determinants of perceived control highlight the importance of gender roles for understanding psychological stress and inform how social expectations differentially influence mens and womens paths to well-being in Russia.

Children at Risk: Infant and Child Health in Central Asia

Using Demographic and Health Surveys, government statistics, and field observations I examine trends in infant and child health in Uzbekistan, Kazakstan and the Kyrgyz Republic. Health indicators (anemia and marked low weight for age) for the population under the age of 3 are examined nationally, regionally and by ethnic groups. Findings indicate the risk of compromised child health varies by ethnicity, but the effect is dramatically lessened by the introduction of household and maternal controls such as parental education, residence, and mother???s health status. Findings highlight the social costs of transition, illustrate the importance of maternal health across the region, and assist in the identification of groups at highest risk for poor child health within individual countries.

Ideology, Methodology, and Context Social Science Surveys in the Russian Federation

The use of survey research has expanded dramatically in the Russian Federation, with mixed results in terms of accuracy and methodological practice. This article offers a preliminary summary of developments in survey research in the Russian Federation, highlighting the methodological and cultural difficulties associated with the transmission of Western-style survey research to the social reality of the Russian Federation. Ideological pressure, intellectual isolation, and emphasis on making surveys politically palatable led to a unique situation for the development of survey methodologies within the former Soviet Union. Insights from interviews with 20 Russian and American scholars highlight problems in cross-cultural collaboration in the post-Soviet context in terms of communication, ownership, training, and sampling. International collaboration has not yet reached its potential in terms of assisting the further development of existing sampling practices, data access norms, and interviewer preparation in the Russian Federation.

Promises to Keep: Pension Provision in the Russian Federation

In this chapter we examine the ways in which the legacy of Soviet pension policies and post-1991 economic and social trends have constrained policy options concerning pension reform in the Russian Federation and have prevented serious reevaluation of pension provision or pension equity. While the Russian government inherited a pension system beset with difficulties and ill equipped for Russia’s aging population, the Soviet pension system represented, in symbolic and financial terms, a widely valued social guarantee. We contend that the structural legacy and embedded expectations associated with the Soviet pension system thwart attempts to provide a unified and equitable pension system in the post-Soviet period. While making numerous changes to the pension system in the post-Soviet period, the federation government remains severely constrained in either fulfilling the promises of the previous Soviet system, or instituting the type of large-scale structural reforms that might contribute to the long-term solvency of the system.

Nativity and Older Women's Health: Constructed Reliance in the Health and Retirement Study

ABSTRACT Gender and nativity are known risk factors for physical and economic dependency. Immigrant women are particularly disadvantaged because of their greater lack of social and economic resources. In this study, we investigate how women immigrants coordinate and utilize various support systems as they approach retirement age, as well as how choices and constraints affect their physical well-being. Experiences throughout the life course play a role in the maintenance of health, but the pre-retirement years are particularly crucial to the establishment of patterns of reliance to be used in later life. We examine the effects of economic resources, social support, and family ties (as well as several exogenous variables) on womens physical health using data from the Health and Retirement Survey. For the women in this study, demographic characteristics, such as Hispanic ethnicity and low education are strong risk factors for poor health. Findings also indicate that reliance patterns across resource domains do not differ significantly by nativity and that both economic and familial resource access significantly lessens the risk of poor health for both native and foreign born women.

Reproductive Health Information for Young Women in Kazakhstan: Disparities in Access by Channel

This study explores young womens reliance on reproductive and sexual health information channels, examining the relationship between information sources and reproductive health knowledge. Utilizing 1995 and 1999 Kazakhstan Demographic and Health Surveys, we investigate access to reproductive health knowledge among young women (ages 15–24) during a key period in the development of wide-scale reproductive health programs in Kazakhstan. Despite reproductive health campaigns throughout the 1990s, we find consistently high proportions of young women without family planning information access. Among young women with access to information, few received information from channels most strongly linked to knowledge and behavioral changes (family and medical professionals). Mass media sources and peer information networks remained the most often utilized channels. Urban residence, non-Kazakh ethnicity, older age (20–24), and higher education significantly increased the odds of accessing family planning information among young Kazakhstani women, and these same factors were especially important in terms of the relative odds of accessing medical and parental channels. While overall contraceptive knowledge and prevalence rose in Kazakhstan during the 1990s, we find knowledge varied by the information channel accessed. Findings also indicate that young women, regardless of marital status, possessed consistently low levels of reproductive health knowledge at the decades end.

Women's sexual and reproductive health in post-socialist Georgia: does internal displacement matter?

CONTEXT Persons displaced by armed conflicts, natural disasters or other events are at increased risk for health problems. The Republic of Georgia has a substantial population of internally displaced women who may face elevated risks of STIs and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). METHODS The 1999 Georgia Reproductive Health Survey was used to examine the prevalence of self-reported STI and PID diagnoses among displaced and nondisplaced sexually experienced women. Multivariate analyses were conducted to determine whether displacement is associated with STI and PID risk, and whether the behavioral and socioeconomic factors associated with these diagnoses differ between internally displaced women and the general population. RESULTS In models that controlled for behavioral factors only, displacement was associated with elevated odds of PID diagnosis (odds ratio, 1.3), but the relationship was only marginally significant when socioeconomic factors were added (1.3). Displacement was not associated with STI diagnosis. The factors associated with STI and PID diagnoses among displaced women generally differed from those in the general population, but access to medical care and previous STI diagnosis were associated with PID diagnosis in both groups. Among nondisplaced women, residing in the capital city was associated with increased odds of STI diagnosis (2.2) but reduced odds of PID diagnosis (0.8). CONCLUSIONS These findings highlight the importance of displacement status in determining a womans reproductive health risks, and underscore the complex relationships between behavioral and socioeconomic variables and the elevation of STI and PID risk.