Children Of Foreign-born Parents Research Articles

Tobacco Use Patterns From Adolescence to Young Adulthood Among Latinx Youth From Rural Communities

PurposeTo examine patterns in adolescent and young adult tobacco use, comparing Latinx foreign-born children and children of foreign-born parents (i.e., children of immigrants(COI)) to Latinx US-born children of US-born parents (i.e., children of nonimmigrants,(CONI)) and to CONI White youth who grew up in small and rural towns. MethodsData were from youth who lived in control communities that participated in a community-randomized trial of the Communities That Care prevention system. We compared Latinx CONI (n = 154) with Latinx COI (n = 316) and with non-Latinx White CONI (n = 918). We examined tobacco use in adolescence (any adolescent use, early onset, and chronic use) and young adulthood (any past-year tobacco use, any daily smoking, any nicotine dependence symptoms) with mixed-effects logistic regressions. ResultsIn adolescence, Latinx CONI had a higher prevalence of any and chronic tobacco use relative to Latinx COI, and of any and early onset tobacco use relative to non-Latinx White CONI. In young adulthood, Latinx CONI were more likely to report tobacco use in the past year, any symptoms of nicotine dependence, and daily smoking relative to Latinx COI; and more likely to report daily smoking relative to non-Latinx White CONI. Generation differences in young adult tobacco use were explained by chronic tobacco use in adolescence. DiscussionThe study suggests targeting chronic tobacco use in adolescence to prevent disparities in tobacco outcomes among Latinx young adults from rural communities.

United we stand? Perceived loyalty of dual nationals, multiracial people, and dual state residents

As multiracial children of foreign-born parents, Kamala Harris and Barack Obama embody diversity in politics for many perceivers. Yet some have also questioned their loyalty to their respective groups. We explored perceptions of dual group members’ (DGM; dual nationals, multiracial people, and dual state residents) loyalty among first-party (those who share a group membership with a DGM target) and third-party perceivers (those who do not). Studies 1a–2b showed that first- and third-party perceivers rated DGMs as less loyal than their single group member (SGM) counterparts. However, only first- (Studies 2a–2b) but not third-party (Studies 1a–1b) perceivers preferred SGMs to DGMs for loyalty-dependent roles. Study 3 revealed that perceivers who were higher in patriotism supported DGMs for loyalty-dependent roles less when they were first- (vs. third) party observers. These studies suggest that perceivers readily intuit that DGMs are less loyal than SGMs and, under some conditions, this may lead to discrimination.

The Role of Intrinsic Motivation in the Pursuit of Health Science-Related Careers among Youth from Underrepresented Low Socioeconomic Populations.

A more diverse health science-related workforce including more underrepresented race/ethnic minorities, especially from low socioeconomic backgrounds, is needed to address health disparities in the USA. To increase such diversity, programs must facilitate youth interest in pursuing a health science-related career (HSRC). Minority youth from low socioeconomic families may focus on the secondary gains of careers, such as high income and status, given their low socioeconomic backgrounds. On the other hand, self-determination theory suggests that it is the intrinsic characteristics of careers which are most likely to sustain pursuit of an HSRC and lead to job satisfaction. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for pursuing an HSRC (defined in this study as health professional, health scientist, and medical doctor) was examined in a cohort of youth from the 10th to 12th grade from 2011 to 2013. The sample was from low-income area high schools, had a B- or above grade point average at baseline, and was predominantly: African American (65.7 %) or Hispanic (22.9 %), female (70.1 %), and children of foreign-born parents (64.7 %). In longitudinal general estimating equations, intrinsic motivation (but not extrinsic motivation) consistently predicted intention to pursue an HSRC. This finding provides guidance as to which youth and which qualities of HSRCs might deserve particular attention in efforts to increase diversity in the health science-related workforce.

Nativity Differences in Mothers’ Health Behaviors

Nativity differences in birth outcomes in the United States are well documented, with more favorable outcomes among children of foreign-born parents than those of native-born parents. Using longitudinal data on mothers from the United States Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study ( N ~ 4,000) and the United Kingdom Millennium Cohort Study ( N ~ 15,000), the authors provide a comparative and longitudinal perspective on nativity differences in mothers’ health behaviors. First, the authors ask whether healthier behaviors observed among Hispanic immigrants in the United States extend to foreign-born mothers in the United Kingdom, including South Asian, black African and Caribbean, and East Asian immigrants. Second, the authors consider the persistence of differences throughout early childhood. The findings demonstrate healthier behaviors among foreign-born mothers in both the United States and the United Kingdom, including both socioeconomically disadvantaged and advantaged mothers. These differences are stable over early childhood, suggesting a “universality” of healthier behaviors among foreign-born mothers, spanning racial/ethnic and socioeconomic groups, time, and two different policy contexts.

Foreign-born health integration during the transition to adulthood: The case of weight

Nativity differences in youths’ health in the United States are striking—the children of foreign-born parents often have healthier outcomes than those of native-born parents. However, very little is known about how immigrant-native differences evolve within the same individuals over time, or about life cycle aspects of the health-related integration of youth with migration backgrounds. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, I examine nativity differences in trajectories of weight gain during adolescence and early adulthood, as well as the degree to which temporal patterns are stratified by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. I examine whether nativity differences converge, diverge or remain stable over time, and whether patterns are socially stratified within and across nativity groups. I find that first-generation adolescents begin at a lower weight than their third generation peers and gain weight at a significantly slower pace, resulting in meaningful differences by early adulthood. More complex examination of the relationship between nativity and weight gain reveals additional differences by ethnicity: the foreign-born advantage over time does not extend as strongly to Hispanic adolescents. The findings demonstrate how the health-related integration of foreign-born youth is tied to race/ethnicity and socioeconomic circumstances, and suggest the need to examine the ways in which social circumstances and health change together.

Pediatric tuberculosis in Alberta: epidemiology and case characteristics (1990-2004).

Pediatric tuberculosis (TB) is important medically and indicative of a public health problem. An understanding of the epidemiology and case characteristics of pediatric TB, in a province that accepts large numbers of immigrants, can inform TB elimination strategy. All cases of pediatric TB notified in Alberta between 1990 and 2004 were identified in the TB Registry. Individual diagnostic criteria were reviewed and case patients were related to a population grid derived from Statistics Canada censuses and population estimates of Status Indians from the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, Canada. Incidence rates were determined by ethnic group and gender. Clinical/mycobacteriologic case characteristics were compared by ethnic group and birth country. Among 124 notified cases, 95 (96 episodes) met strict diagnostic criteria: 45 Status Indians, 30 Canadian-born 'other' and 21 foreign-born. Incidence rates were much higher in Status Indians and the foreign-born compared to the Canadian-born 'other'; 10.7, 5.4, and 0.4 per 100,000 person-years, respectively. Among Canadian-born 'other' cases, 12 were Métis and 11 were Canadian-born children of foreign-born parents. Compared to foreign-born cases, Canadian-born cases were more likely to have a source case in Alberta, to be detected through contact tracing, to have primary pulmonary TB, and to have a rural address. Pediatric TB in Alberta is mainly the result of ongoing transmission in Aboriginal peoples and immigration to Canada of persons with latent TB infection. The elimination of pediatric TB will require interruption of transmission in Aboriginal peoples and prevention of disease in immigrants.

Home: A Feeling Rooted in the Heart

Culturally diverse as they are, Asian-American children and youth share quite a few features among themselves. Most of them are children of foreign-born parents who came to America during the post-1965 immigration waves. As they grow up in culturally isolated environment, they are often faced with identity crisis. The society’s racial exclusion makes them feel like “forever foreigners,” while at home or community their American frame of reference is often in conflict with parents’ traditional values. As a result, they develop a flexible concept of identification. In fact, they are a part of but also apart from the American mainstream culture.

Transmission of hepatitis B in Hamburg, Germany, 1998–2002: a prospective, population-based study

To study the pattern of transmission of HBV in a large urban community, an in-depth prospective study was performed in Hamburg between 1 January 1998 and 31 December 2002. In total, 524 patients were classified as hepatitis B cases according to the case definition of the Robert Koch Institute, comprising 197 foreign-born and 327 German-born persons. The principal risk factor was parenteral drug use, with 17.7% (n=93/524) of all documented cases of hepatitis B, followed by immigration as refugees (13.9%; n=73). Of all 524 cases, 72 (13.7%) were associated with heterosexual (n=41) or homosexual (n=31) transmission. Household contacts of HBV carriers or of patients with acute infectious disease contributed to 9.0% of the cases (n=47). Medical procedures were most probably the source in 7.4% (n=39), although only 3.2% (n=17) of all patients were health-care workers. In multivariate analysis of household contacts, male-male sexual activity was found to be the greatest risk factor for acquiring an acute HBV infection, followed by asylum-seeking status and the number of contacts. The incidence was 3.5-fold higher among foreign-born persons (16.1 per 100,000) than among German-born individuals (4.5 per 100,000) suggesting that a targeted intervention in this population group is a public-health need. The current national policy of vaccination in defined age groups should be extended to the immunization of all children of foreign-born parents as well as the screening and immunisation of susceptible foreign-born adults.

The relationship of supplemental iodine to neural tube defects in Rochester, New York, 1924-1932.

The geographic distribution of infants born with anencephaly and spina bifida in Rochester, New York, in 1924-1932, was examined to test the hypothesis that iodine supplemented water may have reduced the prevalence of these defects. During this period the region had a high prevalence of iodine deficiencies. Comparing the prevalence of neural tube defects in an area with iodine supplemented water to one without iodine supplementation, we found no significant difference in prevalence at birth of neural tube defects. Because the prevalence rates for these defects in children of foreign-born parents (except the Irish) was low, we reexamined the data, excluding these cases. There remained no differences in rates. Iodine supplemented water thus appears to have had no effect on the occurrence of neural tube defects.