Are bilingual Hispanic immigrants healthier? New study says two languages better than one
Are bilingual Hispanic immigrants healthier? New study says two languages better than one
- March 16, 2012
- Ruben Rumbaut, sociology professor, is quoted by NBC Latino March 15, 2012
From NBC Latino:
According to a recent study conducted by researchers from Stanford University and
Rice University, bilingual Latino and Asian immigrants reported better self-rated
physical and mental health over recent immigrants fluent solely in their native language....
Rubén G. Rumbaut, a professor of sociology at University of California, Irvine, is
intrigued by the study's findings, but says it's nearly impossible to isolate language
from experience and create a casual connection between language proficiency and positive
health outcomes. "The fault with this study is that although they included a national
sample of Latinos, they only included foreign born Hispanics from Mexico, Cuba and
Puerto Rico," remarked Dr. Rumbaut, who has conducted significant research on Latinos
and health. "To be conclusive, the researchers should have tried to consider acculturated
Latinos across the Caribbean and the Americas within the study and follow them over
time, because the Puerto Rican experience can be very different from the Cuban, and
even more so from South American."
For the full story, please visit http://nbclatino.tumblr.com/post/19352456407/are-bilingual-hispanic-immi....
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