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V. Nelly Salgado de Snyder
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 Director,
Community Health and Social Welfare Unit
National Institute of Public Health
Becoming Old in a Context of Disadvantage: The Interplay
of Aging, Poverty and Health Among Mexican-origin People
Mexico
Summer Course Coordinator "Globalization
and Public Health in Latin America" Cuernavaca,
Mexico
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V. Nelly Salgado de Snyder (Mexico) obtained her
doctorate in Social Welfare from the University of California,
Los Angeles (UCLA). Currently, she is Director of Community
Health and Social Welfare of the Center for Health Systems
Research of the Mexican National Institute of Public Health.
Previous to this position, Dr. Salgado de Snyder was a senior
researcher at the
National Institute of Psychiatry in Mexico City and professor
of public mental health at National Autonomous University
of Mexico, School of Medicine. From 1980 to 1990 she was
Associate Director of the Spanish Speaking Mental Health
Research Center, at UCLA.
Her professional research career for almost twenty-five
years has focused on the psychosocial and cultural factors
that affect the quality of life, physical and mental health
of Mexican-origin groups in the United States: Immigrants
and later generation Mexican Americans; documented and undocumented
immigrants; wives and children left behind in Mexican rural
villages, and return migrants. Dr. Salgado de Snyder has
published her research findings internationally, in more
than 70 journal articles and book chapters.
She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association
(Division 45), Fulbright Fellow, member of the Mexican Academy
of Sciences, and member of the prestigious Mexican Sistema
Nacional de Investigadores. She has also been the Associate
Editor of the Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences
for the last 15 years. Among other groups of experts, Dr.
Salgado de Snyder coordinates the Mexican side of the Migrant
Health Core Group of the Mexico-U.S. Binational Commission;
she is Presidential Advisor on Migration and Health; and
Scientific Associate of the Texas/World Health Organization
for Cross-Cultural Research on Mental Health and Psychosocial
Factors in Health.
Selected Publications:
· Salgado de Snyder, V.N. & Diaz-Guerrero, R.
(In press) Enduring separation: The psychosocial consequences
of Mexican migration to the United States. In: Migration:
Immigration and emigration in international perspective.
Eds. L. L. Adler & U.P. Gielen. London: Greenwood Publishers/Praeger.
· Salgado de Snyder, V.N., Diaz-Pérez, M.J.,
Ojeda, V. (2000). The prevalence of nervios and associated
symptomatology among inhabitants of Mexican rural communities.
Culture, Medicine and Psychiatry. 24, 453-470.
· Salgado de Snyder, V.N., Acevedo, A., Diaz-Pérez,
M.J., & Saldivar, A. (2000). Sexual behavior and the
risk for HIV/AIDS among Mexican rural women. Psychology
of Women Quarterly, 24, 100-109.
· Salgado de Snyder, V.N., Díaz-Pérez,
M.J., Maldonado, M. & Bautista, E. (1998). Pathways
to mental health services among inhabitants of a Mexican
village with high migratory tradition to the United States.
Health and Social Work. 24, 136-148.
· Salgado de Snyder, V.N. (1993). Family life across
the border: Mexican wives left behind. Hispanic Journal
of Behavioral Sciences. 15, 391-401.
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Becoming Old in a Context of Disadvantage: The Interplay
of Aging, Poverty and Health among Mexican-origin People
The proposed research project is based on three major topics:
Aging, poverty and health. Mexican elderly in Mexico and
the United States have not received sufficient nor adequate
attention from the health authorities in terms of improving
their quality of life and responding to the satisfaction
of their health needs, in both countries there is an almost
total lack of studies with rural, marginal urban inhabitants,
and ethnic groups. Most health research deals with urban
samples and other easily accessible population samples.
Mexican elderly living in impoverished conditions may manifest
more health-related problems because people with lower incomes
and education tend not perceive health problems or illness,
not to request help, and not have a health plan. The purpose
of this component is to study differences and similarities
of the between two groups that have the same cultural origins
but that reside in two different sociocultural contexts,
Mexico and the U.S.
Method
Qualitative component: This component consists of a
total of 30 in-depth interviews with elderly Mexican men
and women living in the same communities where the quantitative
data will be collected. The qualitative component will help
to frame the quantitative data within the process of the
social representation of getting old.
Quantitative Component: Will consist of a total
of 600 survey interviews that will be administered to an
equal number of elderly respondents as follows: Mexican
nationals living in rural Mexico (Jalisco, Morelos and Guerrero)
(n=600), and Mexican immigrants in the U.S. living in rural
Texas (n=100). An attempt is being made to interview an
equal number of participants living with spouse, living
under the care of a family member, and living alone, also
to have a similar number of males and females. The sample
will not include elderly people living in nursing homes.
In Mexico, data is being collected in two different regions,
one of high migratory tradition to the U.S. (State of Jalisco),
and one of recent incorporation to the migratory phenomenon
(States of Morelos and Guerrero). In the United States all
data will be collected in the state of Texas in rural communities
located in the surrounding areas of Dallas-Ft. Worth.
All respondents will have the following characteristics:
a) 60 years or older.
b) Living in the following three contexts: 1) living with
spouse 2) living with family members; and 3) living alone.
c) An attempt is being made to recruit an equal number of
males and females. However it must noticed that in Mexico
is less likely to find women respondents with migratory
experience, because not until recently, rural women did
not migrate to the United States.
d) In Mexico, all respondents are being recruited in rural
communities of the states of Jalisco, Guerrero and Morelos
with less than 15,000 inhabitants. In the U.S:, respondents
will be recruited in poor communities, considered rural
and located in Texas, in the outskirts of Dallas-Ft. Worth
area.
e) In Mexico, there is a sample of men and women without
migratory experience, but who reside in the same rural communities
as their Mexican national counterparts (those with migratory
experience to the U.S.
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Respondent
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United States
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MORELOS
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GUERRERO
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JALISCO
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FT.WORTH
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M.E.
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100
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100
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100
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100
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N.M.E.
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100
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100
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100
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N.A.
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Total 700
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200
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200
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200
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100
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Respondent
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United States
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MORELOS
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GUERRERO
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JALISCO
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FT.WORTH
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M.E
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10
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10
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10
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20
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N.M.E.
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10
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10
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10
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N.A.
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Total 80
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20
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20
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20
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20
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M.E. - Migratory Experience includes individuals who
have lived/worked in the U.S. for at last one year.
N.M.E.- Individuals who have never lived/worked in the U.S.
Procedure: A snowball technique is being
used to recruit participants from communities in Mexico,
and the same technique will be used in the U.S. The selection
criteria for men and women are: chronological age (60 years
and older), possess basic mental abilities (pass a mini-mental
exam); and not living in nursing homes. Individuals are
explained the purpose of the study and invited to participate
voluntarily by agreeing to sign an informed consent form.
For their participation in the study, individuals receive
a small amount of money in cash (5 to 10 USD or its equivalent
in Mexican pesos).
Instrument: The in-depth interviews with
a sample of 40 participants are guided by a series of open
questions that allow the interviewees to elaborate their
responses. All in-depth interviews are being audio and/or
videotaped to maintain the quality of the information provided.
The questions that guide the in-depth interviews include:
general data, brief life history, meaning of getting old,
life style, health status, cultural issues, gender roles,
religion and family ties, social support, quality of life,
daily functioning and plans for the future.
The quantitative instrument was designed especially for
this study and included the following sections: Sociodemographics,
migratory experience in the U.S.; acculturation; behavioral
changes; subjective well-being; health problems; mental
health indicators; alcohol and tobacco use; utilization
of formal and informal health services; family support and
resources; daily activities, diet; and meaning of "getting
old". The instrument was tested and adjustments were
made before starting data collection.
Data analyses: Qualitative data will be analyzed
using the program Atlas Ti and through comparative and summary
tables. Quantitative data will be analyzed using the SPSS
program.
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| NCS Scholars, Midterm Meeting, Mexico. |
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NCS Scholars Lori Leonard and Seggane Musisi during first Global Health Summer Course Meeting.
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