A Profile of US-Mexico Border Mobility Among a Stratified Random Sample of Hispanics Living in the El Paso-Juarez Area

Examination of border-specific characteristics such as trans-border mobility and transborder health service illuminates the heterogeneity of border Hispanics and may provide greater insight toward understanding differential health behaviors and status among these populations. In this study, we create a descriptive profile of the concept of trans-border mobility by exploring the relationship between mobility status and a series of demographic, economic and socio-cultural characteristics among mobile and non-mobile Hispanics living in the El Paso-Juarez border region. Using a two-stage stratified random sampling design, bilingual interviewers collected survey data from border residents (n = 1,002). Findings show that significant economic, cultural, and behavioral differences exist between mobile and non-mobile respondents. While non-mobile respondents were found to have higher social economic status than their mobile counterparts, mobility across the border was found to offer less acculturated and poorer Hispanics access to alternative sources of health care and other services.