Finally, sociologists have also shown that a full understanding of the health effects of migration requires an assessment of the ways in which migration impacts the health of sending communities. For example, a study of infant health in two high migration sending states in Mexico found that infants born to fathers who had migrated to the U.S. had a lower risk of low birth weight and prematurity compared to infants born to fathers who had never migrated (Frank 2005). This study also found that women with partners in the U.S. had lower levels of social support and higher levels of stress during pregnancy than women with nonimmigrant partners, but the benefits of the receipt of remittances and the practice of better health behaviors led to improved infant health outcomes. These findings highlight the importance of attending to the bi-directional effects of migration processes.
