The Other Side of the Paradox: The Risk of Low Birth Weight among Infants of Migrant and Nonmigrant Households within Mexico

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Abstract
The main aim of this study is to understand how the international migration process affects the risk of low birth weight among Mexican-born infants using the ENADID 1997 (Encuesta Nacional de la Dinámica Demográfica), a nationally representative survey of the Mexican population. The total sample includes 23,607 infants. We employ logistic regression to estimate models in which migration status is included as a risk factor for low birth weight. The analysis demonstrates that membership in a migrant household provides protection from the risk of low birth weight largely through the receipt of remittances. In light of this evidence, it is particularly important that international migration be recognized as one of the processes that has a positive and significant effect on perinatal outcomes in both countries of origin and in countries of destination.