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This article is based on data gathered through 60 qualitative interviews conducted within the realm of three research projects that have used “culture-appropriate lenses” to study the postmigration situation of late-in-life Iranian immigrants to Sweden. The findings gathered through these studies were interpreted against the backdrop that culturally appropriate nursing theories provide. This meant that it was, at times, these elders’ backgrounds as cultural “others” that were implicitly used to make sense of the various issues that were brought to the fore by these studies. The particular issue with which this article is concerned is the “unusualness” of these elders’ explanatory models of illness. Inspired by the concept “definition of situation” in the symbolic interactionist perspective and by the feeling that this perspective might bring about a different interpretation of the original findings regarding their understandings of illness and disease, we set out to conduct a secondary analysis of these elders’ explanatory models of illness. The findings presented in this article will show how the elderly Iranian immigrants interviewed in these three studies utilize the process of “late in life migration” as a point of reference for their understandings of what has caused the illnesses from which they suffered. Hereby we will suggest that the “unusualness” of their explanatory models of illness might be best understood if we focus on what they shared as immigrants (i.e., the fact that the process of late-in-life migration has made their culture obsolete) as opposed to what they shared as Iranians (i.e., their culture of origin).

Community health advisors (CHAs), also known as promotores, are lay individuals in the community that others tend to look toward for advice and support. Studies incorporating CHAs are relatively rare, and CHAs have not been used in previous intervention studies to reduce environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure. The present study pilot tested a CHA assessment instrument and examined the effects of promotora training on CHAs' knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs concerning ETS reduction. Participants were 11 women recruited from the local community. CHA training produced changes on several psychosocial constructs. Anticipated outcomes regarding ETS reduction and emotional reactions related to volunteering in the community were more positive after training. Self-esteem and self-efficacy showed increases after training. Future research will investigate the relationship between the psychosocial characteristics measured in the assessment instrument and subsequent success implementing the ETS reduction intervention.

An empirical measure of East Asian ethnic identity was developed and evaluated. One hundred and fifty nonclinical East Asian immigrants (75 males and 75 females) were administered the East Asian Ethnic Identity Scale (EAEIS) and a psychometrically established measure of self-construal. Satisfactory reliability is reported for the overall EAEIS as well as its three factor analytically derived scales, including family values, ethnic pride (language, sense of belonging), and interpersonal distance. While EAEIS and independent self-construal were not associated, individuals who endorsed EAEIS were more likely to report an interdependent self-construal. The findings suggest that the EAEIS may be a useful tool for researchers and clinicians to investigate potentially important themes and individual differences in the experiences of East Asian immigrants.

The purpose of this study was to test the reliability and validity of a brief language usage scale as a measure of acculturation in 197 Central American immigrant women. This study presents an analysis of cross-sectional survey data collected during face-to-face interviews conducted in Spanish as part of the program evaluation of the Infant Feeding for Hispanic Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Populations a Peer Education Model. The Short Acculturation Scale, a four-item language usage scale exploring the participants' language preferences, was used as a measure of acculturation. The participant's age, length of time in the United States, and perceived social support for breastfeeding were used as validation measures. Results demonstrated good internal reliability for the acculturation summary scale. Consistent with previous studies, significant correlations (p < 0.01) were found between acculturation and mother's age, perceived social support for breastfeeding, and mother's length of time in the United States. The reliability and validity data from this group of Central American immigrants support the continued use of this brief measure of acculturation in diverse Latino subpopulations when multidimensional measures are neither practical nor feasible.

The purpose of this study was to determine the tuberculin positivity rates and the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among a population of seasonal, nonmigrating farm workers. Participants were tested for tuberculosis (TB) sensitivity, syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia. Patients were afforded follow-up even if they returned home to Mexico during the course of their treatment. We found that the TB rate (15%) and the incidence of STDs to be significantly lower than in other studies of migrant populations. We hypothesize that exposure to urban commercial sex workers who frequent many migrant camps may be involved in the transmission of TB. Further research is needed to determine the incidence of TB among commercial sex workers and the extent to which transmission occurs between these two populations. We also describe our follow-up program and recommend a closer adherence to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines with respect to adequate health education and disease prevention.

This study examines the incidence of cancer among Chinese immigrants to Alberta in comparison to the incidence in Canadian-born Alberta residents and in people of Chinese origin still living in China. Cancer cases among Chinese immigrants and Canadian-born Alberta residents were identified from the Alberta Cancer Registry (1974–1993). Incidence rates for Shanghai (1975–1992) were obtained from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) publications. Direct age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs) were calculated using the “world standard population.” Descriptive analysis and Poisson regression modelling were employed to obtain the rate ratios for certain cancer sites among the three populations. For males, the overall incidence of cancer (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer) was lowest in Chinese immigrants while being similar in Canadian-born Alberta residents and Chinese living in Shanghai (197 vs. 224 and 232/100,000). For females, the overall incidence in Chinese immigrants was lower than Canadian-born Alberta residents but similar to that in Chinese living in Shanghai (154 vs 200 and 150/100,000). For cancers that are common in China (stomach and esophagus), the incidence rates for Chinese immigrants were more similar to those for Canadian-born residents than to rates for Shanghai. However, the incidence of liver cancer was very high in the immigrants, suggesting the possible presence of an initiating event during childhood or early adulthood. For cancers that are traditionally uncommon in China (breast and prostate), rates for immigrants were mid-way between those of the two comparison groups. This study supports observations that the risk of cancer in immigrants tends towards the risk of people in the new host country.

The health care services and sociodemographic profiles of Chinese women residing in each of five neighborhoods of Vancouver and Richmond, British Columbia, were examined and compared to Pap testing rates. Information was collected from the provincial medical directory, the cervical cancer screening program, and a community-based survey. A total of 159 Chinese primary care physicians, 3 Chinese gynecologists, and 9 health clinics were identified within these neighborhoods and 769 Chinese women responded to the survey. Significant differences were found between neighborhoods in Pap testing rates, with Chinatown having the lowest rates. Differences between neighborhoods were also found in the availability of Chinese language health care services, sociodemographic profiles of the Chinese population, individual preferences and experiences with health care services, which were also related to Pap testing rates. The implications of these findings upon the planning of effective health care services within local neighborhoods are discussed.