Springer Science and Business Media LLC

We investigated whether darker interviewer-ascribed skin color is associated with worse cardiometabolic health among young adult Blacks and Hispanics in the United States. Our sample was comprised of 2,128 non-Hispanic Blacks and 1603 Hispanics aged 24-32, who were in high school in the United States in 1994. We used logistic and OLS regression to predict obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and cardiometabolic risk. We tested the interaction between Hispanic immigrant generation and ascribed skin color. Darker ascribed skin color predicted worse cardiometabolic health among both young adult Blacks and Hispanics. Among Hispanics, the associations were strongest among third and higher generation respondents. Our findings suggest that among US Blacks and Hispanics how individuals are perceived by others via their skin color is significantly associated with their health and well-being. Gradients in cardiometabolic health in young adulthood will likely contribute to gradients in cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality later in life.

Mammography and fecal occult blood testing (FOBT) improve the detection, management, and prognosis of breast and colorectal cancer, respectively, but are underperformed in the recent immigrant and refugee population. We aimed to identify barriers to screening and potential solutions in this population. A mixed-methods study involving a retrospective chart review and focus group interviews was conducted, with data analyzed using univariate logistic regression and thematic analysis, respectively. Mammography completion was associated with greater time in Canada (p = 0.01) and region of origin (p = 0.04), while FOBT completion was associated with region of origin (p = 0.03). Barriers included time constraints, language and cultural differences, and poor interprofessional communication. This study of recent immigrants and refugees identifies barriers to screening and supports potential solutions including culturally-congruent peer workers, targeted screening workshops, and visual screening aids. Further work is needed to address the unique healthcare needs of this diverse and growing population.

To examine the health status of Hispanic agricultural workers in Florida and Georgia. Health data from agricultural workers in the Farm Worker Family Health Program (June 2019) and research studies in Florida (May 2015 and May 2019) were examined. Data from 728 agricultural workers were collected through sociodemographic questionnaire and clinical data. In the Florida sample, 83% were overweight or obese, 70% elevated blood pressure, 60% met the definition of prediabetes. In Georgia, 64% were overweight or obese and 67% had elevated blood pressure. Weak correlations were observed between BMI and systolic blood pressure (unadjusted r = 0.20), diastolic blood pressure (unadjusted r = 0.19), and glucose (unadjusted r = 0.14). Adjusting for age and gender did not show statistically significant correlation between BMI and systolic and diastolic blood pressure or glucose. While BMI has been shown to be strongly associated with high blood pressure and impaired glucose, we found a weak correlation among agricultural workers. Given the common and high use of pesticides and elevated rates of hypertension, impaired glucose, and adiposity in agricultural workers, the public health impact of this relationship may require and lead to occupational reform that protects the health of agricultural workers. Future studies should assess occupational and environmental factors and lifestyle differences between agricultural workers and the general population to better understand these discrepancies in health status.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States (U.S.). Immigrant groups from sub-Saharan Africa in the U.S. have higher CVD risk than their African American counterparts. This study examines associations of sociodemographic factors (age, sex, education, & income) to acculturation, cultural beliefs, and CVD risk levels (CVDRL) among Nigerian, Ghanaian, and Cameroonian immigrants (NGCI) in the U.S. A correlational cross-sectional design was used. Data from a convenience sample (n = 178) of NGCI were analyzed using correlations, regressions, and path analysis. Acculturation had a statistically significant influence on cultural beliefs (β = 0.16, P < .05). Age, sex, and education were the strongest predictors of CVDRL among the NGCI sample. High acculturation among NGCI in the U.S. have been associated with more health-promoting cultural beliefs. It is important that NGCI who may have difficulties understanding the culture of the U.S. healthcare system receive quality care.

Detention of immigrants by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a rapidly growing form of incarceration in the U.S. with almost 400,000 people detained in 2008 (Schriro in Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 2009, http://www.ice.gov/doclib/091005_ice_detention_report-final.pdf ). ICE detainees are predominantly from Mexico and Latin America and only a small minority of detainees are asylum seekers. Immigrant detainees lack a legal guarantee of medical care (unlike criminal arrestees and prisoners) and face challenges in receiving medical care, particularly those with chronic medical conditions (Venters and Keller in J Health Care Poor Underserved 20:951–957, 2009). Although we and others have long been involved in advocating for detained asylum seekers, few resources are dedicated to medical advocacy for the broader population of ICE detainees. At the NYU Center for Health and Human Rights (CHHR), a program of medical advocacy was initiated in 2007 on behalf of ICE detainees focused on improvement of care in detention and medical parole. Our preliminary efforts reveal a pressing need for more involvement by physicians and other health advocates in this area.

The UJAMBO Program was a series of one session group workshops with Congolese and Somali women in the United States built around a DVD using African immigrant women's stories which provided basic information about mammography, pap smears and mental health services for trauma. The current study is an evaluation of the UJAMBO program addressing the impact on participants'knowledge of these health services and their intentions to use these services.

Research on physical activity (PA) by level of acculturation in Hispanic children is limited and findings have been mixed. We examined PA participation by primary language used with parents in a representative sample of 4th, 8th, and 11th grade Texas public school students. Mixed-effects regression models were conducted using cross-sectional data from the 2004–2005 School Physical Activity and Nutrition Study (n = 22,049). Self-reported PA was compared among three language-ethnic groups: Spanish-Hispanic (SH) (referent); English-Hispanic (EH); and English-Other (EO). EH and/or EO girls were generally between 1.25 and 2.58 [OR] times more likely to participate in PA across grade levels, with the largest differences found for school sports in 8th grade girls. EH and EO 8th grade boys were 1.71 (CI: 1.40, 2.10) and 2.06 (CI: 1.68, 2.51) times, respectively, more likely to participate in school sports. Findings indicate important disparities in Spanish-speaking Hispanic children’s PA participation.

In New York City, HIV is increasingly concentrated in the foreign-born population, necessitating a greater exploration of the mechanisms through which changes in behavior and risk for HIV occur within migrant populations. Interviews were conducted with 22 Honduran-born Garifuna women to explore partnerships, sexual behaviors, and HIV risk in the context of migration, and transcripts were coded by thematic analysis procedures. Five themes emerged: (1) migration ends relationships, (2) new relationships in the U.S. form because of material and psychological needs, (3) secondary sexual partnerships are a man’s issue, (4) female secondary sexual partnership participation as a marker of equality, and (5) monogamy due to a lack of time. These findings suggest that greater attention be paid to women’s participation in secondary sexual partnerships for purposes other than economic need, and demonstrate a need for HIV interventions that are based in an understanding of how the social context of migration affects sexual behaviors.