Spatial Disparities: The Role of Nativity in Neighborhood Exposure to Alcohol and Tobacco Retailers

Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health - Studies of retail environment, one of the social determinants of health, document racial/ethnic disparities in exposure to alcohol and tobacco (A and T)...     

Neighborhood stressors and psychological distress among U.S. Latinos: Measuring the protective effects of social support from family and friends

We examined whether social support from family and friends, separately, reduce the deleterious effect of neighborhood stressors on psychological distress among Latinos by subgroup. Utilizing data from a nationally representative sample of 2,524 Latinos (National Latino and Asian American Survey), we found that neighborhood stressors were associated with higher distress among people with low and average levels of family support, although there was no significant association between neighborhood stressors and distress among those with high levels of family support. Although both family and friend support reduced the deleterious mental health impact of neighborhood stressors, when mutually adjusted, only family support remained statistically significant as a stress buffer and only for Mexicans and Cubans.     

Does Selective Migration Explain the Hispanic Paradox? A Comparative Analysis of Mexicans in the U.S. and Mexico

Latino immigrants, particularly Mexican, have some health advantages over U.S.-born Mexicans and Whites. Because of their lower socioeconomic status, this phenomenon has been called the epidemiologic “Hispanic Paradox.” While cultural theories have dominated explanations for the Paradox, the role of selective migration has been inadequately addressed. This study is among the few to combine Mexican and U.S. data to examine health selectivity in activity limitation, self-rated health, and chronic conditions among Mexican immigrants, ages 18 and over. Drawing on theories of selective migration, this study tested the “healthy migrant” and “salmon-bias” hypotheses by comparing the health of Mexican immigrants in the U.S. to non-migrants in Mexico, and to return migrants in Mexico. Results suggest that there are both healthy migrant and salmon-bias effects in activity limitation, but not other health aspects. In fact, consistent with prior research, immigrants are negatively selected on self-rated health. Future research should consider the complexities of migrants’ health profiles and examine selection mechanisms alongside other factors such as acculturation.     

The Role of Ethnicity and Nativity in the Correspondence between Subjective and Objective Measures of In-Home Smoking

Studies are needed to understand the association between self-reported home smoking bans and objective measures of in-home smoking according to smokers’ ethnicity/nativity. Data came from a trial that used air particle monitors to reduce children’s secondhand smoke exposure in smokers’ households (N?=?251). Linear regressions modeled (a) full home smoking bans by ethnicity/nativity, and (b) objectively measured in-home smoking events, predicted by main and interaction effects of self-reported home smoking bans and ethnicity/nativity. Among smokers reporting?<?a full ban, US-born and Foreign-born Latinos had fewer in-home smoking events than US-born Whites (p?<?0.001). Participants who reported a full smoking ban had a similar frequency of smoking events regardless of ethnicity/nativity. Results indicate that self-reported home smoking bans can be used as a proxy for in-home smoking. Establishing smoking bans in the households of US-born White smokers has the largest impact on potential exposure compared to other ethnicity/nativity groups.

     

Associations among family history of cancer, cancer screening and lifestyle behaviors: a population-based study

Purpose

Some cancers are largely preventable through modification of certain behavioral risk factors and preventive screening, even among those with a family history of cancer. This study examined the associations between (1) family cancer history and cancer screening, (2) family history and cancer preventive lifestyle behaviors, and (3) cancer screening and lifestyle behaviors.

Methods

Data were from the 2009 California Health Interview Survey (n = 12,603). Outcomes included screening for breast cancer (BC) and colorectal cancer (CRC) and six cancer preventive lifestyle behaviors, based on World Cancer Research Fund recommendations. Multivariate logistic regression analyses, stratified by gender and race–ethnicity, examined associations. Predicted probabilities of cancer screening by family cancer history, race–ethnicity, and sex were computed.

Results

Family history of site-specific cancer—CRC for men and women, and BC for women—was associated with higher probability of cancer screening for most groups, especially for CRC, but was largely unrelated to other lifestyle behaviors. In the few cases in which family history was significantly associated with lifestyle—for example, physical activity among White and Latino males, smoking among White and Asian females—individuals with a family history had lower odds of adherence to recommendations than those with no family history. Greater overall adherence to lifestyle recommendations was associated with higher odds of up-to-date CRC screening among White and Asian males, and lower odds among Asian females (no significant association with BC screening); this relationship did not vary by family cancer history.

Conclusion

The fact that family history of cancer is not associated with better lifestyle behaviors may reflect shared behavioral risks within families, or the lack of knowledge about how certain lifestyle behaviors impact personal cancer risk. Findings can inform interventions aimed at lifestyle behavioral modification for individuals at increased cancer risk due to family history.     

Cardiovascular health: associations with race–ethnicity,nativity, and education in a diverse,population-based sample of Californians

PurposeThis study examined how race–ethnicity, nativity, and education interact to influence disparities in cardiovascular (CV) health, a new concept defined by the American Heart Association. We assessed whether race–ethnicity and nativity disparities in CV health vary by education and whether the foreign-born differ in CV health from their U.S.-born race–ethnic counterparts with comparable education.MethodsWe used data from the 2009 California Health Interview Survey to determine the prevalence of optimal CV health metrics (based on selected American Heart Association guidelines) among adults ages 25 and older (n = 42,014). We examined the interaction between education and ethnicity–nativity, comparing predicted probabilities of each CV health measure between U.S.-born and foreign-born White, Asian, and Latino respondents.ResultsAll groups were at high risk of suboptimal physical activity levels, fruit and vegetable and fast food consumption, and overweight/obesity. Those with greater education were generally better off except among Asian respondents. Ethnicity–nativity differences were more pronounced among those with less than a college degree. The foreign-born respondents exhibited both advantages and disadvantages in CV health compared with their U.S.-born counterparts that varied by ethnicity–nativity.ConclusionsEducation influences ethnicity–nativity disparities in CV health, with most race–ethnic and nativity differences occurring among the less educated. Studies of nativity differences in CV health should stratify by education in order to adequately address SES differences.