Abstract A094: The relationship between migration and integration stressors and tobacco use in a migrant Mixteco community

Abstract

Abstract Cigarette smoking is one of the leading causes of chronic disease morbidity and mortality across the world. In the U.S., Latinos have a lower prevalence of smoking when compared to other ethnic/racial groups, but when disaggregated there exist significant differences within Latino subgroups (Bandeira et al., 2015). In the scientific literature, little attention has been given to tobacco use among indigenous Mexican migrants. This study analyzes the relationship between experiences (stressors) linked to migration and tobacco use in an indigenous Mixteco migrant community. Migration stressors include the negative experiences on an individual's journey to the United States while integration stressors are the negative experiences of integrating into society once arriving in the U.S. We hypothesize that there is a significant relationship between the level of migration and integration stressors and tobacco use. A sample of 901 indigenous Mixteco participants from a high-emigrating town in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca completed structured questionnaires focused on migration history, demographics, and health outcomes. In the US, cross-sectional data were collected in the corresponding satellite communities in southern California. Statistical analyses were conducted using Stata 15 and R version 3.4.3. We generated descriptive statistics for sample characteristics, which are stratified by gender (men/women) and tested for association. A series of logistic regression models were used to predict the association between migration stressors and integration stressors and cigarette smoking. This study yields new information on the relationship between migration, integration, and tobacco use among indigenous Mexican migrants. Although the primary predictor of interest showed no significant association with our outcome, certain findings add to the existing literature on migration and health. These findings include gendered differences in smoking, higher odds of smoking among return migrants, and higher odds of smoking among English language speakers. Citation Format: Gilberto Lopez, Heather Mattie, Vaughan Rees, David R. Williams. The relationship between migration and integration stressors and tobacco use in a migrant Mixteco community [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2018 Nov 2-5; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl):Abstract nr A094.