New Data! Project Migrante: Health Status and Access to Health Care Among Migrants on Mexico’s Northern Border

Map of the United States and Mexico with the United States in yellow and Mexico in peach. Blue, teal, and purple arrows on the map indicate patterns of movement within and between countries. Three cities (Tijuana, Ciudad Juárez, and Matamoros) on the border are specifically labelled. ​

DSDR is excited to announce the release of Project Migrante: Health Status and Access to Health Care Among Migrants on Mexico’s Northern Border, 2020-2021 (ICPSR 38601).

The Migrante Project is a binational study that examines health status and access to health care among Mexican migrants. The current phase of Migrante includes three survey waves (N=1,200 each), with each focused on a specific topic area. Data for the Wave I survey, included in this release, focused on HIV and sexual/reproductive health. All surveys contain additional questions on socio-demographics, health status, health care access, migration history, and contextual factors related to migration stage. All waves also include biometric testing (for example, rapid HIV testing). Participants are sampled from four different migrant flows: northbound within Mexico arriving at the border, southbound from the border within Mexico, voluntary return from the U.S. to Mexico, and deportation from the U.S. to Mexico.

The Wave I survey data were collected in Tijuana, Matamoros, and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico between August 2020 and September 2021. The study employed a multistage sampling design, with a combination of geographic and temporal sampling units. Sampling sites for Wave I included bus stations, airports, and deportation stations in each of the three cities.

Eligible study participants were at least 18 years old, born in Mexico or other Latin American countries, fluent in Spanish, not residents of the city where the survey was being conducted (except for deported migrants), and traveling for labor reasons or change of residence. One thousand two hundred and sixty individuals completed the Wave I survey.

Waves II (non-communicable disease focus) and III (mental health and substance use focus) are expected to be available through DSDR in the future.

Access the Project Migrante: Health Status and Access to Health Care Among Migrants on Mexico’s Northern Border page.

Jun 7, 2023

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