First-generation Chinese Immigrants Research Articles

Neighborhood gentrification, wealth, and co-ethnic density associations with acculturation stressors among Chinese immigrants

ObjectiveThis study examined the cross-sectional relationships between neighborhood social composition and gentrification, and acculturation stressors. MethodsPerson-level data came from first-generation Chinese immigrants enrolled in the Immigrant Enclaves Study (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, baseline 2018–2020, N = 512). A validated scale was used to assess 22 stressors associated with migration or acculturation. Neighborhood characteristics from the American Community Survey 2015–2019 and 2008–2012 included: tract proportion of foreign born Chinese, neighborhood wealth, and past decade gentrification. Most neighborhood exposures were modeled as continuous as well as binary variables (intended to represent highest level of neighborhood exposure). Multivariable negative binomial regression adjusted for age, gender, income, education, employment, language, years in the U.S., and neighborhood variables (proportion co-ethnic, and neighborhood per capita income). ResultsThe majority of participants spoke Mandarin (68% vs Cantonese 32%), mean participant age was 52.7 years old, years in the US was 18, and nearly one-half of the sample had less than 8 years of education. Mean number of stressors was 5.9 with nearly 20% of participants reporting 11 or more stressors. Multivariable results found the number of acculturation stressors was 18% lower for residents in the highest co-ethnic density neighborhoods and 13% lower for residents in the highest wealth areas, compared to other areas (expβ 0.82, 95% CI [CI] 0.69, 0.98; expβ 0.87, CI 0.75, 1.01, respectively). Stressors were no different whether participants lived in gentrified areas or not. ConclusionsAmong middle-aged Chinese immigrants, acculturation stress was lower for residents in neighborhoods with higher proportion of Chinese immigrants and for residents in neighborhoods with higher wealth, whereas gentrification had no influence on acculturation stress. More work on this topic is needed with vulnerable populations such as this one, informed by local context.

Online Health Information-Seeking Behaviours and eHealth Literacy among First-Generation Chinese Immigrants.

Due to linguistic and cultural barriers, immigrants often have limited access to health information. Online health information is popular and accessible, but quality is questionable and its benefits dependent on an individual's eHealth literacy. This study examined online health information-seeking behaviours, eHealth literacy and its predictors among first-generation Chinese immigrants. A sample of 356 Chinese immigrants living in Australia completed an anonymous paper-based survey, including sociodemographic, clinical data, English proficiency, health literacy, online health information-seeking behaviours, and eHealth literacy. Linear regression models analyzed predictive factors of eHealth literacy. Participants were aged mean 59.3 years, female (68.3%), 53.1% completed university, and their English proficiency was rated fair/poor by 75.1%. Participants perceived online health information as useful (61.6%) and important (56.2%) to their health. Health information accessed was often related to lifestyle (61.2%), health resources (44.9%), diseases (36.0%), and medications (30.9%). Inadequate health literacy and eHealth literacy occurred in 48.3% and 44.9%, respectively. Age, number of technological devices used, education, and health status were independently associated with eHealth literacy. While most Chinese immigrants used online health information, many had inadequate eHealth literacy. Healthcare authorities and providers should support older immigrants, those with lower education and poorer health, and those less engaged with technology in online health information use by providing culturally and linguistically appropriate information, directing immigrants to credible websites, and involving them in health material development processes.

Millennial Fiction Meets the Campus Novel

Millennial Fiction Meets the Campus Novel Jeffrey J. Williams (bio) The campus novel has changed as campuses and their denizens have changed. Critics often treat the genre as a continuous one, harking back to Mary McCarthy's Groves of Academe (1952) and Kingsley Amis's Lucky Jim (1954), and they sometimes still invoke David Lodge's Small World (1985) as a send-up of contemporary academic life. But anyone coming through university gates since the late 1980s has encountered a very different world from Small World, and fiction has likewise changed. As I've described in "The Rise of the Academic Novel" (2012) and elsewhere, we have seen a new age of campus fiction since then, one that responds to the ubiquity of higher education in American life. Rather than an ivory tower, universities are a hub for real estate, industry, banking, healthcare, sports, technology, and cultural enterprises. And with 80 percent of Americans attending college at some point and millions working in teaching and staff positions, higher education permeates our culture and society. A good deal of fiction has responded to its contemporary state, and several recent novels by millennials give an updated sense of the troubled experience of those working in the institution. Since the late 1980s the academic novel—and I distinguish the academic novel, those dealing with the lives of college teachers, from the campus novel, which I reserve for those dealing with undergraduate life, largely on campus—left the confines of a quaint subgenre, like the locked room mystery, to meld into the mainstream of literary fiction, with entries by writers including Paul Auster, Ann Beattie, Michael Chabon, Susan Choi, Percival Everett, Denis Johnson, Jonathan Lethem, Sam Lipsyte, Lorrie Moore, Joyce Carol Oates, Tim O'Brien, Richard Powers, Francine Prose, Richard Russo, and Jane Smiley. They have dealt with the culture wars, sexual politics, midlife crises, love and relationships, work, and the vicissitudes of the professional-managerial class—staples of mainstream fiction. Around 2000 the genre spawned a new branch, the adjunct novel, depicting, instead of the bumbling but lucky Jim, decidedly unlucky Jims (see my "Unlucky Jim," Chronicle of Higher Education, Nov. 2012). James Hynes has been a prominent portraitist of the unlucky in Publish and Perish (1997), A [End Page 14] Lecturer's Tale (2001), Kings of Infinite Space (2004), and Next (2010), which depict underemployed PhDs scrambling for decent jobs. The adjunct novel has spawned its own subgenre, with micro-press or self-published entries like J. Hayes Hurley's The Adjunct (2006), Alex Kudera's Fight for Your Long Day (2010), and Geoff Cebula's Adjunct (2017). Rather than the crux of the plot turning on tenure, as in McCarthy's Groves of Academe or to a degree Lodge's Changing Places (1975), the new crux is landing a decent academic job in the first place. The past five years have seen a further development: snapshots from the millennial generation. In particular, three well-received novels—Weike Wang's Chemistry (2017), which won a PEN/Hemingway Award; Brandon Taylor's Real Life (2020); and Christine Smallwood's Life of the Mind (2021)—depict the demoralized world of graduate student researchers—less students than underlings in a lab—and elite adjuncts. The protagonists, like their authors, come from the millennial generation (Wang was born in 1988, Taylor in 1989, Smallwood in 1981) and show the enforced holding pattern of those in their late twenties and early thirties. The problem is not that they have difficulties—that is a conventional spring of narrative action—but that they have little chance for a better future. Their positions stand in sharp contrast to that of their advisers, who in each novel is a successful academic, receiving grants and plaudits and jetting off to give talks, but who has little understanding of their advisee's plight. Chemistry depicts an unnamed chemistry graduate student who works in a lab but undergoes a breakdown, a breakup, and ejection from academe, finding recovery while tutoring math. In short, poetic paragraphs, it combines an academic story with one of second-generation Asian American experience in the shadow of her parents, first-generation Chinese immigrants. Real Life likewise portrays a graduate...

ACCULTURATION AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE RISK-FACTOR CHANGES AMONG CHINESE IMMIGRANTS IN ITALY: GENDER DIFFERENCES

Objective: In recent decades, the Chinese presence in Southern Europe has grown rapidly but no data is available on the influence that residing in Mediterranean countries has on Chinese immigrants. In this study, we aim to examine the association between acculturation and cardiovascular risk factors among first-generation Chinese immigrants in Italy. Design and method: This was a population-based, cross-sectional study. A sample of 2589 Chinese first-generation immigrants (1599 women and 990 men) living in Prato, Italy, underwent blood pressure measurement, blood tests (with measurement of glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides), and anthropometric measurements. The influence of length of residence (dependent variable) on hypertension, type 2 diabetes, overweight/obesity, and hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol) (independent variables) was investigated with multivariable logistic regression adjusted for age, sex, education and urban/rural home area in China before migration. Results: Mean age of Chinese participants was 47.2 ± 10.7 years and 61.7% were women. Immigrants residing in Italy for > 20 years were more likely to be hypertensive [odd ratio (OR) 1.84; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.33 to 2.59], or diabetic (1.91; 1.26 to 2.86) than those residing in Italy for < 10 years. Differently, prevalence of hypercholesterolemia (total cholesterol > 240 mg/dl) was lower in immigrants residing in Italy for > 20 years than in those with < 10 years of residence (0.52; 0.32 to 0.83). Data stratified by age (< or > 45 years) are presented in the table. The association between indicators of acculturation and cardiovascular risk factors appeared to differ by sex. Conclusions: Acculturation of Chinese immigrants in Italy was associated with hypertension and type 2 diabetes whereas a favorable effect on hypercholesterolemia was observed.

Filial Piety and Mental Health Among Older Chinese Immigrants in the Netherlands.

Filial piety is important to Chinese adults and is associated with mental health among older Chinese immigrants in the United States. However, it is unclear whether filial piety is linked to the mental health of Chinese immigrants in European countries. Therefore, this study aims to gain insights into the association between mental health and filial piety of first-generation Chinese immigrants in the Netherlands. A random sample of 143 participants took part in the study. A cross-sectional design was used. Data were collected through a postal survey conducted in the Chinese language between January 2021 and March 2021. The survey included a Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC), and expected and perceived filial piety scale. The results indicated that in general, perceived filial piety exceeded expected filial piety (‘filial piety sufficient’). Regression analysis revealed that ‘filial piety sufficient’ is associated with a higher emotional MHC (B =.498, p =.035). This study provided new insights into the wellbeing of older Chinese immigrants in the Netherlands and showed accordance with the literature that filial piety remains an important factor for mental health.

Self-care behaviours and related cultural factors among Chinese immigrants with cardiovascular disease in western countries: an integrative review.

This review aimed to demonstrate the self-care behaviours of first-generation Chinese immigrants with cardiovascular disease in western countries and identify related cultural factors. Self-care is the cornerstone to mitigate disease symptoms and maintain health status. Chinese immigrants to western countries, operating within a cross-cultural context, may find self-care to manage their cardiovascular disease challenging. An integrative review was conducted. Seven databases were searched Scopus, ProQuest Health & Medicine, Medline (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), AMED (Ovid), PsycINFO and CINAHL, with output limited to peer-reviewed studies published from 2000 to 2020 in English or Chinese. Initially, 2037 papers were screened. Six papers were retained and critiqued using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tools. Deductive and inductive approaches were utilised to analyse the findings. The PRISMA 2020 checklist informed review reportage. In general, Chinese immigrants with cardiovascular disease took an active role in management of their cardiovascular disease, including through diet and activity adaptation and adherence to western medication. Families also played a significant role in disease decision-making and management. However, language and cultural barriers impeded their access to health information and resources in host countries. Understanding self-care behaviours and associated cultural factors among Chinese immigrants with cardiovascular disease is important to improve nurses' culturally sensitive practices and provide tailored health education interventions to promote self-care behaviours among immigrant populations. The scarcity of literature on self-care behaviours among Chinese first-generation immigrants with cardiovascular disease indicates the need for further research in this area. Development of culturally and linguistically sensitive health resources and education programs is urgently needed.

Gender differences in acculturation and cardiovascular disease risk-factor changes among Chinese immigrants in Italy: Evidence from a large population-based cohort

BackgroundIn recent decades, the Chinese presence in Southern Europe has grown rapidly but no data is available on the influence that residing in Mediterranean countries has on Chinese immigrants. In this study, we aim to examine the association between acculturation and cardiovascular risk factors among first-generation Chinese immigrants in Italy. DesignPopulation-based, cross-sectional study. MethodsA sample of 2589 Chinese first-generation immigrants (1599 women and 990 men) living in Prato, Italy, underwent blood pressure measurement, blood tests (with measurement of glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides), and anthropometric measurements. The influence of length of residence (dependent variable) on hypertension, type 2 diabetes, overweight/obesity, and hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol) (independent variables) was investigated with multivariable logistic regression adjusted for age, sex, education and urban/rural home area in China before migration. ResultsMean age of Chinese participants was 47.2 ± 10.7 years and 61.7% were women. Immigrants residing in Italy for ≥20 years were more likely to be hypertensive [odd ratio (OR) 1.84; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.33 to 2.59], or diabetic (1.91; 1.26 to 2.86) than those residing in Italy for <10 years. Differently, prevalence of hypercholesterolemia (total cholesterol≥240 mg/dl) was lower in immigrants residing in Italy for ≥20 years than in those with <10 years of residence (0.52; 0.32 to 0.83). The association between indicators of acculturation and cardiovascular risk factors appeared to differ by sex. ConclusionAcculturation of Chinese immigrants in Italy was associated with hypertension and type 2 diabetes whereas a favorable effect on hypercholesterolemia was observed.

Discursive negotiation of the self in situated talks – first-generation Chinese immigrants in Australia and their sociocultural group membership

ABSTRACT The identity of first-generation immigrant groups is a highly complex construct, evolving and changing in response to a host of social, psychological, and contextual factors. This paper explores how first-generation Chinese immigrants from mainland China position and negotiate themself in relation to the perceived sociocultural groups they affiliate with. Drawing on Bucholtz and Hall’s (2005) sociocultural linguistic approach to identity and interaction, we address the issues of language use and identity through examining the emergent and spontaneous use of indexical references of self in the interviews with first-generation Australian Chinese immigrants. The findings reveal that the immigrants’ senses of self are fluid and dynamic, influenced by their desire of ethnic continuity and personal affectional ties. This points to the usefulness of the discursive approach of indexicality for studying identity.

Acculturation, Health Behaviors, and Social Relations among Chinese Immigrants Living in Spain.

This study aims to identify acculturation experiences about social relations and health behaviors of first-generation Chinese immigrants in the South of Spain, including food patterns, physical exercise, and tobacco and alcohol use. A phenomenological qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews, informal conversations, and field notes. All data were analyzed under the Berry’s Model of Acculturation. A total of 133 Chinese immigrants were included. Our findings show that separation was the dominant acculturation strategy, followed by integration and assimilation, while marginalization was not present in this immigrant population. Most of the immigrant population maintains a link to the customs of their home country, favoring the process of identity and collective self-esteem. These results can help health managers and the government to further understand Chinese immigrants in Europe and to establish appropriate health interventions to this group.

Walking in Your Culture: A Study of Culturally Sensitive Outdoor Walking Space for Chinese Elderly Immigrants.

This was a study conducted in Atlanta, GA, in the United States with Chinese elderly immigrants, examining the relationship between visual preference and motivation to walk in a particular outdoor space. Outdoor walking promotes the well-being of older adults. However, their declined body functions impact their motivation to walk outside. For elderly immigrants living in a country with different cultural backgrounds from their homelands, it is important to find the ways to enhance their motivation of outdoor walking. Visual preference survey was conducted to assess preferences of first-generation Chinese elderly immigrants attending a care facility setting. Preferences included Chinese classical walking spaces or American modern walking spaces. The data were interpreted using descriptive statistics and factorial experiment analysis. A total of 95 Chinese elderly immigrants gave valid responses to the visual preference survey. Survey results revealed that respondents had a high preference for Chinese classical walking spaces even though they had an average time of 26 years as a U.S. resident. Although the functions and purposes of the walking spaces caused safety and comfort concerns, the interaction effects of design style, design function, and design purpose illustrated that Chinese classical style had high effectiveness to promote outdoor walking of Chinese elderly immigrants. These results support the significance of culturally sensitive care environments in promoting outdoor walking for elderly Chinese immigrants. It also indicates that spaces designed with an assigned cultural style had higher attractiveness to older adults from the same assigned cultural background.

Health literacy as a predictor of emergency department visits and self-rated health among Chinese immigrants: findings from an Australian survey

ObjectivesOur objectives were to examine health literacy among first-generation Chinese immigrants living in Australia, identifying health literacy domains associated with emergency department (ED) visits and self-rated health (SRH). MethodsChinese immigrants (n = 362, mean age = 59) were recruited from communities across New South Wales and surveyed for health literacy, ED visits in the past 12 months, and SRH using the Health Literacy Questionnaire (simplified Chinese version). ResultsMore than 70% of participants experienced health literacy difficulties. Health literacy was significantly lower among the following participants: older, migration at older age, recent immigrants, and those without university level education or proficient English.ED visits were independently associated with the health literacy domains lacking ‘social support for health’ (OR: 1.80; p = .031) and ‘ability to appraise health information’ (OR: 2.22; p = .005). Poor SRH was associated with the health literacy domains ‘insufficient health information’ (OR: 1.81; p = .025), ‘inactively managing health’ (OR: 1.72; p = .048), and ‘lacking ability to appraise health information’ (OR: 1.70; p = .048). ConclusionsInadequate health literacy was identified in the majority of first-generation Chinese immigrants and it had significantly association with higher prevalence of ED use and poorer SRH. Practice implicationsEarly screening and support for health literacy is critical in Chinese immigrants.

INTEREST GROUP SESSION—AGING AMONG ASIANS: RESEARCH METHODS IN AGING AMONG ASIANS

Asians are the largest and the fastest growing segment of the world population. Asian immigrants are the second largest immigrant population in the U.S. However, age-related social and health issues are understudied among late-life immigrant and the oldest old Asians. Little data exist to support public health promotion, policy studies and clinical practice in this population. To advance research into aging among Asians living in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world, sound methodologies can be adopted from those well-developed in other settings while novel methodologies are to be developed to meet the unique needs of Asian studies. This symposium brings together four abstracts that address a variety of common methodological issues in social and health studies among Asian older adults. The topics range from culturally and linguistically appropriate strategies for recruiting non-English speaking research participants, assessment of social isolation and transportation barriers using an ethnographical approach, development of a new culturally appropriate measure for successful aging among the oldest old Chinese in China, and evaluation of preventive healthcare use among faith-based first-generation Chinese immigrants using self-administered surveys in the U.S. These studies involve qualitative ethnographical analysis, mixed methods for instrument development, quantitative data analysis, use of geographic information systems and demography to plan participant recruitment, and use of staged community engagement to increase efficiency and representativeness of participant recruitment. Lessons learned from these studies are valuable to future studies on aging among Asians. This symposium is a collaborative effort of the GSA Aging Among Asians Interest Group.

Using graphic text-messaging to promote smoking cessation among first-generation Chinese and Korean male immigrants.

First-generation Chinese and Korean male immigrants in the United States are at high risk for tobacco use. This study pilot-tested a graphic, native-language text-messaging intervention to promote smoking cessation among these groups. First-generation Chinese and Korean male immigrant smokers (N = 71) were recruited from the Washington DC area. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions based on a between-subjects 2 (graphic plus text or text-only messages) � 2 (quitline information or quitting tips) design. The text-messaging intervention included 30 text messages in total and lasted one month. Participants completed an expired air carbon monoxide (CO) assessment and self-reported measures at both baseline and follow-up. Results show that, from baseline to follow-up, participants' expired air CO levels decreased significantly (P = 0.001). Attitude toward quitting also became more positive (P = 0.028). Compared with text-only messages, graphic text messages produced greater positive changes in quitting attitudes (P = 0.039) and elicited greater fear response (P = 0.005). Compared with quitting tip messages, quitline information resulted in greater regret (P = 0.016) and fear (P = 0.051). These findings suggest that graphic text-messaging can be an effective method to promote smoking cessation among first-generation Chinese and Korean male immigrants.

Guanxi and risk-taking propensity in Chinese immigrants’ businesses

This paper studies the determinants of the risk-taking propensity in immigrant-owned businesses. The paper has a particular focus on first-generation Chinese immigrants and the effect of the so-called “guanxi”, a specific form of social capital for Chinese communities. The empirical research is based on a survey conducted in 2012 on Chinese immigrant entrepreneurs in Andalusia (Spain). An ordinal logistic regression specification was employed to test the hypotheses. The results show that the Chinese immigrant entrepreneurs with better “guanxi” run businesses with a higher risk-taking propensity. Furthermore, those Chinese immigrant entrepreneurs who have other business owners in their families and undertake business planning and control activities are more prompted to take risks in the management of their companies. The risk-taking propensity of immigrant-owned businesses increases over time starting from the immigrant entrepreneurs’ arrival to Spain. In contrast, the education levels of Chinese entrepreneurs’ bear no significant effect on the risk-taking propensity of their businesses.

PO472 Health Literacy of First-Generation Chinese Immigrants With Cardiovascular Disease: Does Gender Matter?

Bipolar disorder is a relapsing-remitting condition affecting approximately 1–2% of the population. Even when the treatments available are effective, relapses are still very frequent. Therefore, the burden and cost associated to every new episode of the disorder have relevant implications in public health. The main objective of this study was to estimate the associated health resource consumption and direct costs of manic episodes in a real world clinical setting, taking into consideration clinical variables.Bipolar I disorder patients who recently presented an acute manic episode based on DSM-IV criteria were consecutively included. Sociodemographic variables were retrospectively collected and during the 6 following months clinical variables were prospectively assessed (YMRS,HDRS-17,FAST and CGI-BP-M). The health resource consumption and associate cost were estimated based on hospitalization days, pharmacological treatment, emergency department and outpatient consultations.One hundred and sixty-nine patients from 4 different university hospitals in Catalonia (Spain) were included. The mean direct cost of the manic episodes was €4771. 77% (€3651) was attributable to hospitalization costs while 14% (€684) was related to pharmacological treatment, 8% (€386) to outpatient visits and only 1% (€50) to emergency room visits. The hospitalization days were the main cost driver. An initial FAST score >41 significantly predicted a higher direct cost.Our results show the high cost and burden associated with BD and the need to design more cost-efficient strategies in the prevention and management of manic relapses in order to avoid hospital admissions. Poor baseline functioning predicted high costs, indicating the importance of functional assessment in bipolar disorder.El Trastorno Bipolar (TB) es una enfermedad con frecuentes recaídas y remisiones que afecta a aproximadamente el 1 al 2% de la población mundial. Aún con la eficacia de los tratamientos disponibles actualmente, las recaídas son frecuentes. Por tanto, el costo y consumo de recursos asociados a cada nuevo episodio tienen un impacto importante en el sistema sanitario. El principal objetivo de este estudio fue el de estimar los costos directos y recursos sanitarios empleados durante el tratamiento de episodios maníacos en la práctica clínica diaria, teniendo en cuenta además variables clínicas.Fueron incluidos de manera consecutiva pacientes quiénes hayan presentado recientemente un episodio maníaco agudo según los criterios del DSM-IV. Se recogieron de manera retrospectiva variables sociodemográficas y durante los siguientes 6 meses se realizaron evaluaciones clínicas sistemáticas que incluían YMRS,HDRS-17,FAST and CGI-BP-M. El consumo de recursos sanitarios y los costos asociados fueron estimados a partir de los días de hospitalización, el tratamiento farmacológico, las visitas a urgencias y ambulatorias.Se incluyeron 169 pacientes de 4 hospitales universitarios de Cataluña, España. El costo directo medio de cada episodio maníaco fue de €4771. De estos, 77% (€3651) correspondía a los costos de hospitalización, 14% (€684) al tratamiento farmacológico, 8% (€386) a las visitas ambulatorias y solo 1% (€50) a visitas en urgencias. Los días de hospitalización fueron el mayor componente del costo total. Un puntaje inicial de FAST >41 predijo de forma significativa un mayor costo directo.Nuestros resultados demuestran el elevado costo y consumo de recursos sanitarios asociados al TB y reflejan la necesidad de diseñar más y mejores estrategias costo-efectivas en el manejo y prevención de episodios maníacos a fin de evitar ingresos hospitalarios. Un peor estado funcional basal es predictivo de mayores costos, indicando la importancia de realizar una evaluación funcional en el TB de manera sistemática.

Complementary and Alternative Medical Service Use for Mental Health Problems among Chinese Americans: The Roles of Acculturation-related Factors

The author used data from the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys to examine the 12-month prevalence and predictors of the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) relative to conventional Western medical services among Chinese Americans. The author examined the differences in service utilization patterns between Chinese Americans and non-Hispanic whites and the effects of acculturation factors such as generational status and English proficiency within the population of Chinese Americans. Multinomial logistic regression analyses revealed significant heterogeneity of exclusive CAM use in response to mental health problems by race/ethnicity and generational status, as well as English proficiency, gender, age, marital status, education, employment status, having insurance, and having any probably psychiatric disorder. Specifically, first-generation Chinese immigrants lagged behind second-, third-, or higher generation Chinese Americans and non-Hispanic whites in the likelihood of using exclusive CAM services for mental health problems. In addition, this study revealed that exclusive CAM service use was more popular than the use of only conventional Western medicine or a combination of both among all Chinese Americans except for the second generations. The findings provide a more nuanced understanding of the pattern of mental health service use among Chinese Americans. Implications for policy and research are discussed.

Facilitating or Impeding Acculturation: A Qualitative Study on Mobile Social Messaging in First-Generation Chinese Immigrants’ Everyday Lives

ABSTRACTPrevious research indicated that communication through media has been intertwined into immigrants’ everyday lives and become an essential part of their acculturating practices. However, no research has been conducted to examine how innovative, ethnic social media play a role in Chinese immigrants’ acculturation process in terms of social capital. In order to fill the research gap, a qualitative study was conducted to explore how Chinese immigrants use social messaging to accumulate social capitals to facilitate their acculturation process. Thirty face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted among Chinese immigrants to collect data. Findings revealed that Chinese immigrants tend to consider acculturation as a complex and long process in which they navigate through and position themselves in the unfamiliar cultural system. The ethnic social medium – WeChat, and in particular, its social messaging plays an essential role in shaping Chinese immigrants’ acculturation experiences by assisting them in garnering both bonding and bridging social capitals.

Breast Cancer Screening Beliefs Among Older Chinese Women in Chicago's Chinatown.

Chicago's Chinatown is home to a sizeable community of first-generation Chinese American immigrants. This qualitative study seeks to describe the attitudes toward, and barriers and facilitators of, breast cancer screening among Chinese women in Chicago's Chinatown to inform strategies for future interventions. We conducted six focus groups among Chinese-speaking adult women aged 45 and older. Focus groups were transcribed, coded, and analyzed for emergent themes. Forty-seven women participated in focus groups; 10 (21%) had received a breast cancer diagnosis in their lifetime, all participants were foreign-born, and 80% have resided in the United States for over 10 years. Participants expressed a range of breast cancer beliefs, attitudes toward screening, barriers encountered, and facilitators. Some differences were noted between women with cancer and those without. Barriers described include language, time, not wanting to burden their adult children, and transportation. Navigation services and physician recommendation were suggested facilitators to screening. Our findings have important implications for development of interventions and policies to bolster breast cancer screening among Chinese women. We highlight the need to connect Chinese older adults with resources to navigate the health care system and present opportunities for community stakeholders, researchers, health professionals, and policy makers to improve the health of Chinese Americans.

Associations Between Parenting Styles and Perceived Child Effortful Control Within Chinese Families in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Taiwan.

The current study examined the associations between parentally perceived child effortful control (EC) and the parenting styles of 122 Chinese mothers (36 first-generation Chinese immigrants in the United Kingdom, 40 first-generation Chinese immigrants in the United States, and 46 Taiwanese mothers) of 5- to 7-year-old (M age = 5.82 years, SD = .805; 68 boys and 54 girls) children. The findings showed significant cultural group differences in mothers’ reported authoritarian parenting style. Significant associations also emerged between mothers’ reports of their children’s EC and some parenting dimensions, although there were no cultural group differences in perceived child EC. Different patterns of associations between perceived child EC and parenting styles in these three groups also demonstrated heterogeneity within the Chinese population, and highlighted the need to consider differences between original and receiving societies when seeking to understand parenting and child development in different immigrant groups.

New findings on type 2 diabetes in first-generation Chinese migrants settled in Italy: Chinese in Prato (CHIP) cross-sectional survey.

Chinese people are one of the fastest growing immigrant populations in Europe, and their health has become a key issue to host nations. Although type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is a big burden among migrant populations, data on Chinese immigrants in Europe are limited. A cross-sectional survey was performed in 2014, adopting principles of community-based participatory research to investigate T2DM, diagnosed by the American Diabetes Association fasting criteria, in Chinese first-generation migrants aged 16 to 59years settled in Prato (Italy). Association with different factors was investigated using logistic regression. Of the 1608 participants, 177 had T2DM (11.0%), 119 being newly diagnosed (7.4%). Among subjects with diabetes, 58 (32.8%) were aware of the disease; among subjects with diabetes aware of their condition, 46 (79%) were treated with glucose lowering drugs. Age-standardized (World Health Organization 2001 population) prevalence of T2DM was 9.6% (95% CI 9.1 to 10.2%), being 12.0% (95% CI 11.0 to 12.9%) in men, and 7.8% (95% CI 7.1 to 8.4%) in women. At adjusted logistic regression, diabetes was associated with hypertension, current smoking, adiposity indices (waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, waist-to-height ratio, and body mass index), and high triglycerides. T2DM, adiposity indices, and high triglycerides were not associated with duration of stay in Italy. The high prevalence of T2DM among first-generation Chinese immigrants in Europe stresses the need for specific health programs for T2DM early diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. There is an urgent need for policies to support this group because current policies will produce major social and economic costs. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.