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Why Do Immigrants Come To America?

Decent Essays

Immigrants come to the United States for a variety of reasons. Some migrate to enhance their ability to earn money, while others come with the goal of reunifying their families. Certain groups of people come seeking refuge, having fled turmoil and uncertainty in their homelands. The reasons immigrants come to this country are wide ranging, but all who come here face a transition that is nothing short of challenging. Cultural differences, language barriers, and pressure to assimilate, are just a few of the struggles immigrants face in an America that has become increasingly hostile to those who are different. The ability of immigrants to overcome these obstacles is paramount to their success and happiness in America. Because of this fact, I …show more content…

Exercise is seen as a key component to a healthy lifestyle. Team sports force people to abandon differences, and to work together towards a goal; the level of inclusion and togetherness seen in team athletics is hard to find anywhere else. However, I believe that sports and exercise can assist immigrants specifically by combatting health and risk factors faced by low income, immigrant children, by increasing immigrants’ social capitals and skill sets, and by helping immigrants to learn English and other nuances of American life. In this essay, I hope to expose these benefits, offer suggestions, and frame athletics as a practical instrument for attaining success and happiness in American life. As mentioned previously, exercise is seen as one of the cornerstones of a healthy life. A review of 86 scientific papers concerning exercise benefits in school age children, conducted by Janssen and Leblanc, found that children aged 15-17 “should accumulate an average of at least 60 minutes per day and up to several hours of at least moderate intensity physical activity”(Janssen and Leblanc, 1). In fact, even a more modest level of activity would be sufficient in battling health risks, such as …show more content…

The result of the blood tests revealed that these adults exhibited a “fast food diet pattern” (Hamer and Mishra, 495). Fast food is very high in sodium and fat, and people who follow the fast food diet pattern could face a handful of health related issues. It is a matter of cost: fast food is simply more affordable than healthy alternatives. Looking now at US Census Bureau data collected in 2010, in Immigrant America by Portes and Rumbaut, some immigrant groups, particularly those from Central and South America, have median household incomes below the US Average of $45,000 (Portes and Rumbaut, 134). Mexican immigrants had a poverty rate of 28%; Somali immigrants faced a poverty rate at a whopping 52%! These low income immigrant groups are especially at risk to have a “fast food diet pattern”. An article written on the “Migration Policy Institute” website did mention that Hispanic immigrants of the first generation are usually heavier on average than other children. This article by Van Hook, Kelly, and Baker attributes immigrant obesity on a whole to acculturalization, meaning, basically, getting used to living like an American. While this may be true, I still believe that income level is a solid predictor of health related issues. While a fast food

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