Transnational health information networks: The case of Mexico and the US

Considerable research has highlighted transnational influence on the health of populations impacted by international migration. Still, little is known about the way health information is disseminated within the social networks of residents of Mexican communities with high rates of out-migration to the US. The objective of this study was to describe the frequency and flow of health-related communication within the social networks of Mexican women, and the socio-demographic and network-based correlates of communicating about health topics. We analyzed ego-centric network data from a random sample of 343 who were interviewed as part of the 2013 Social Networks and Health Information Survey, which was conducted in a municipality in Guanajuato, Mexico selected for its high rates of US-bound migration. The mean age of participants was 31.6 years, and 68% self-reported being poor or working class. Seventy percent of women had at least one migrant within their social network. Women had an average of 5.1 local social ties and 1.8 cross-border ties in the US. Women in the sample indicated that they had exchanged health information with 375 social ties in Mexico and the U.S in the preceding 12 months. The most common health topics discussed were gastrointestinal infections, respiratory infections, and diabetes. Health information was significantly more likely to be exchanged within local ties than cross-border ties (14% vs. 3%, p<0.01), with other women compared to men (16% vs. 6%, p<0.01), and with immediate family members compared to extended family or friends (17% vs. 6%, p<0.01). However, respondents were more likely to have complete confidence in the health information or advice given by cross-border alters compared to local alters (86% vs. 69%, p=0.10). These findings suggest that the influence of transnational migrant networks on health communication may be attenuated by a lower frequency of these dialogues with cross-border contacts.