The Historical Nexus Between Immigration and Health

Despite Being Blamed for Bringing Diseases, Immigrants Have Always Brought New Understandings of Health to America

Alan Kraut is a historian at American University who has studied the nexus of immigration and health for many years. Zócalo spoke to Professor Kraut to understand the role history plays in our current understanding of the subject, as well as how he himself has absorbed new concepts of wellness brought to this country by immigrants.

Interview by Lisa Margonelli | February 4, 2019

More and More Californians Are Living with Their Grandmas

Once Mostly an Immigrant Practice, Multigenerational Living Reduces Stress and Lengthens Lives

by Vanessa Hua | February 4, 2019

Thump-thump-thump! Thump-thump-thump!

Out on the deck one morning, my 80-year-old mother dribbles her basketball. It’s a pastime she picked up in recent years to maintain her agility. My 7-year-old twins join …

How Understanding Immigrants Could Help All Americans Live Better

Newcomers Have Healthier Habits Than the Native-Born—And Should Be Emulated

by Fernando Riosmena | February 4, 2019

Four decades ago—around the time the Office of Management and Budget set guidelines to include questions on Hispanic ethnicity across the whole federal statistical system—researchers began noticing that Latinos seemed …

The Small California Farm Town That Puts Kids First

Against All Odds, Gonzales—Population 9,000—Offers Services That Touch the Lives of All Its Young People

by Joe Mathews | January 14, 2019

What if California actually decided to put the needs of its poor kids first? What would that look like?

Here’s one answer: it might look like Gonzales, a small city of …

How Cesarean Births Became a ‘Global Epidemic’

Reliance on New Obstetric Technology and Lawsuit-Averse Doctors Made Traditional Birth Seem More Risky Than C-Sections

by Jacqueline H. Wolf | December 3, 2018

Almost one in three births in the United States today is by cesarean section—a dramatic change from a century ago when physicians avoided the surgery whenever possible. Doctors remained so …

What Our Gargantuan Appetite for Meat Says About America

It Symbolizes Affluence and Social Status, Showcases Regional Differences, and Reveals Shifting Attitudes Toward Health

by Wilson J. Warren | August 9, 2018

Americans have always been distinguished by their love of meat. Where does that love come from?

One short answer: our ethnic heritage. Among whites, the English and Germans were two of …

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