Mexican-origin Population Research Articles

Communicating PNPLA3 genetic risk status for NAFLD among Mexican-origin men.

The burden of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) continues to disproportionately impact under-resourced communities in the U.S., particularly Mexican-origin populations. Genetic polymorphisms such as the rs738409 C/G variant in patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing 3 (PNPLA3) have been associated with higher prevalence of and progression along the NAFLD spectrum. This qualitative study conducted in the U.S. Southwest aimed to assess Mexican-origin men's experience receiving genetic testing for PNPLA3 risk carrier status. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 Mexican-origin men whose NAFLD status and genetic predisposition were determined as part of a previous cross-sectional study. The interview guide included questions exploring participants' insights on how genetic risk status was delivered, how the information influenced their motivation for lifestyle modification to reduce NAFLD risk, and any knowledge sharing that occurred with family members after learning of their PNPLA3 risk status. Interviews were conducted and audio recorded in English (n = 6) and Spanish (n = 11) and uploaded into NVivo software for data analysis and interpretation. Guided by the Health Belief Model, a thematic analysis approach was used to identify primary themes. Results highlighted men's preference for receiving this type of genetic risk information through a letter sent to their homes. General comprehension of PNPLA3 risk status was deemed high and most men stated sharing their genetic predisposition to NAFLD with their immediate family members. Participants also indicated that family and awareness of this genetic risk acted as primary motivators for implementing behavior changes (e.g., diet, physical activity) toward the prevention of more severe liver conditions. Findings from this qualitative study suggest the feasibility of communicating genetic risk for NAFLD among Mexican-origin men. Future strategies for the dissemination of genetic risk results among Mexican-origin individuals should consider familial and cultural appropriate strategies.

Adolescent Reproductive Health Outcomes Among Mexican-Origin Women on Both Sides of the U.S.-Mexico Border

PurposeMuch reproductive health research on the Latina population overlooks heterogeneity by national origin, nativity, and age and also ignores how U.S.-based populations differ from those in “sending” nations. The purpose of this study is to describe a history of adolescent birth, age at first sex, and contraceptive use at first sex in the Mexican-origin population in both the United States and Mexico. MethodsWe developed a binational dataset merging two comparable nationally representative cross-sectional surveys in the United States and Mexico and used covariate balancing propensity scores to balance the age structure of our four samples: U.S.-born Latinas of Mexican origin, foreign-born Latinas of Mexican origin, U.S.-born non-Latina Whites, and Mexican women residing in Mexico. We used a negative binomial regression and calculated the predicted probability of experiencing at least one adolescent birth for each ethnicity/nativity group, stratified by 5-year age group. We also described age and contraceptive use at first sex. ResultsForeign-born Latinas of Mexican origin and Mexicans in Mexico had similar adjusted probabilities of reporting an adolescent birth (30.1% and 29.9%, respectively), which were higher than those of Mexican-Americans (26.2%) and U.S.-born non-Latina Whites (11.6%). History of an adolescent birth is declining across all four groups among younger ages. Differences do not appear to be driven by the timing of first sex but by contraceptive use, which is increasing among younger age groups. DiscussionAccess to and use of effective contraception rather than timing of initiation of sexual activity is a key determinant of U.S. Latina and Mexican adolescent births.

Mexican-Origin Newsmakers: Utilizing Health in La Opinión Microfilm for Data Collecting and Methodology.

The Spanish-language newspaper La Opinión, in microfilm format from the 1960s, shows how the margins of archival repositories are filled with the voices of marginalized communities. Archival data about the Mexican-origin population has proven scarce throughout the twentieth century; not until 1980 was the term “Hispanic” added to the census and the group categorized in governmental repositories. This paper takes the reader on a journey through the depths of the Los Angeles County Library, into the fourth-floor basement where the entirety of La Opinión is stowed away in reels. This paper covers the challenges and rewards of archival research as well as the process of conducting archival research. Equipped with lived experiences in Mexican enclaves in Los Angeles, the researcher recognizes the voice of the community in ads, announcements, political cartoons, and throughout the margins of the newspaper. This article also offers an analysis of the opinions from the community about health care and raises questions of whether health-care services sufficiently met the needs of the community.

Diabetes Screening and Monitoring Among Older Mexican-Origin Populations in the U.S.

The purpose of the study is to examine diabetes screening and monitoring among Latino individuals as compared with non-Latino White individuals and to better understand how we can use neighborhood data to address diabetes care inequities. This is a retrospective observational study linked with neighborhood-level Latino subgroup data obtained from the American Community Survey. We used generalized estimating equation negative binomial and logistic regression models adjusted for patient-level covariates to compare annual rates of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) monitoring for those with diabetes and odds of HbA1c screening for those without diabetes by ethnicity and among Latinos living in neighborhoods with low (0.0-22.0%), medium (22.0-55.7%), and high (55.7-98.0%) population percent of Mexican origin. Latino individuals with diabetes had 18% higher rates of HbA1c testing than non-Latino White individuals with diabetes (adjusted rate ratio [aRR] 1.18 [95% CI 1.07-1.29]), and Latinos without diabetes had 25% higher odds of screening (adjusted odds ratio 1.25 [95% CI 1.15-1.36]) than non-Latino White individuals without diabetes. In the analyses in which neighborhood-level percent Mexican population was the main independent variable, all Latinos without diabetes had higher odds of HbA1c screening compared with non-Latino White individuals, yet only those living in low percent Mexican-origin neighborhoods had increased monitoring rates (aRR 1.31 [95% CI 1.15-1.49]). These findings reveal novel variation in health care utilization according to Latino subgroup neighborhood characteristics and could inform the delivery of diabetes care for a growing and increasingly diverse Latino patient population. Clinicians and researchers whose work focuses on diabetes care should take steps to improve equity in diabetes and prevent inequity in treatment.

Care in Context: Dementia Support in Mexico and the United States

Due to rapid demographic transitions, the number of people with dementia is rising in the Americas, and is expected to double in the coming decades, increasing from14.8 million in 2030 to over 27 million by 2050. The burden of dementia is especially pronounced for the Mexican-origin population in Mexico and the U.S. For Mexico, financial support for older low-income citizens and medical care are universal rights, but limited fiscal resources and the needs of a large low-income population create inevitable competition for limited resources among the old and the young. Although the United States has a more developed economy and well-developed Social Security and health care financing systems for older adults, Mexican-origin individuals in the U.S. do not necessarily benefit fully from these programs. The institutional and financial problems are compounded in both countries by longer life spans, smaller families, as well as changing gender roles and cultural norms. Such changes affect the Mexican-origin population in particular because of a higher prevalence rates of cognitive impairment than other racial and ethnic groups, and the lower access to resources to provide care. In this GSA Symposium, the authors of four papers deal with the following topics as they relate to dementia care in Mexico and the United States: (1) living alone in late life; (2) living arrangements and dementia care; (3) the role of non-governmental organizations in care; (4) next steps to address dementia care needs in the U.S. and Mexico.

Migration, work, and retirement: the case of Mexican-origin populations.

Mexico and the United States both face rapid population aging as well as older populations with high poverty rates. Among the most vulnerable populations of retirement age in either nation are Mexican immigrants to the United States. This work uses data from the U.S. Health and Retirement Study and the Mexican Health and Aging Study to assess retirement decisions among persons born in Mexico and working in either nation as well as such decisions by non-Hispanic Whites in the United States. Social security system incentives matter for the retirement of Mexican immigrants in the U.S. but not for return-migrants in Mexico.

Gender-Based Pathways to Cognitive Aging in the Mexican-Origin Population in the United States: The Significance of Work and Family.

This study uses the life course perspective to explore the role of key midlife factors (occupation and number of children) for gender- and nativity-based pathways to cognitive aging for older Mexican Americans. Using the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (H-EPESE, 1993/1994-2016, n = 2,779), this study presents (a) cognitive impairment trajectories over 20 years of data and (b) multinomial logistic regression analyses of trajectory group membership by lifetime occupation and number of children, controlling for educational attainment. For older Mexican American men, lifetime employment in agricultural occupations is associated with elevated risk for late-life cognitive impairment. Delayed risk for impairment is observed for U.S.-born men who were employed in factory work (e.g., production and repair) and in Mexican-born men who were employed in occupations with skilled or supervisory requirements. For all women, labor force participation, especially in skilled occupations, is related to a delayed risk of cognitive impairment. Number of children is unrelated to impairment for men; however, women with five or more children (compared to women with two to four children) are at risk for consistent and rapid cognitive impairment in late life. Late-life cognitive health disparities that disproportionately impact the Mexican American population can be addressed by improving access to educational and occupational opportunities in early and midlife. This study points to key areas of intervention within work and the home for the Mexican-origin population.

(Mis)educating the children of Mexican-origin people in the United States: the challenge of internal language borders

ABSTRACT This article maintains that in spite of their seeming progress, Mexican-origin students in the US continue to face barriers that are typical of the complex challenges endured in public schools by minoritized and racialised peoples in the American context. It begins with a brief overview of the current-day demographics of the Mexican-origin population, with selected historical information for readers not familiar with the American context, and with a description of visions for a better life that motivate Mexican migration to the United States. It then focuses on the effects on this population of ‘language borderization processes,’ that is, of stated-sanctioned mechanisms and procedures used to identify and categorise children as required by school accountability mandates. An argument is made that although these mechanisms are intended to provide tailored support for immigrant-origin children’s perceived English language limitations, they can result instead in directly limiting future educational opportunities.

Dual Trajectories of Dementia and Social Support in the Mexican-Origin Population.

In the next few decades, the number of Mexican American older adults with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders will increase dramatically. Given that this population underutilizes formal care services, the degree of care responsibilities in Mexican American families is likely to increase at the same time. However, little is known about the changing need for assistance with instrumental day-to-day activities and emotional support by long-term patterns of cognitive impairment. We use 7 waves of the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (1992/1993-2010/2011) and trajectory modeling to describe long-term patterns of perceived emotional and instrumental support, and dementia. Results revealed 2 latent classes of both emotional and instrumental support trajectories: low and high support. Specifically, those living alone were more likely to belong to the group with low support than to that with high support. Three latent classes for likely dementia were also revealed: likely dementia, increasing impairment, and no impairment. Those living alone were more likely to belong to the increasing impairment and likely dementia groups. The dual trajectory of emotional and instrumental support with likely dementia revealed that the probability of belonging to the low-support group was highest for those with increasing impairment. These findings highlight the risk and vulnerability of those who live alone concerning perceived social support and dementia. Implications of the findings for the potential dependency burden on Latino caregivers are discussed.

“WHITENESS” IN CONTEXT

AbstractUsing data from the 2008–2016 American Community Survey, we compare the racial identification responses of the Mexican-origin population residing in California to their counterparts in Texas, the two states with the largest and most established Mexican-origin populations. We draw on existing theory and research in order to derive a theoretical account of state-level historical mechanisms that are likely to lead to varying patterns of racial identification within the two states and a set of propositions predicting the nature of this variation. Results indicate that the Mexican-origin population in Texas is substantially more likely to claim White racial identification than their counterparts in California, even after accounting for factors related to racial identity formation. Further analysis indicates that this result is robust and buffets the notion that the historical development of the racial context in Texas has engendered a present-day context in which “Whiteness” carries a distinctive social value, relative to California’s ethnoracial context, and that this social value is reflected in the ways in which individuals of Mexican origin respond to race questions on U.S. Census surveys.

Criminalización y políticas migratorias: Cambios en el proceso de estratificación racial y estigmatización de la población de origen mexicano radicada en los Estados Unidos (1954-2001)

This article aims to analyze from a historical perspective the changes in the process of racial stratification and stigmatization of the population of Mexican origin based in the United States. From a bibliographic and documentary exploration of changes in U.S. migration policies with respect to its southern border during the second half of the 20th century, three distinct historical periods were identified (1954-1964, 1965-1985 and 1986-2001). The social changes presented in these historical periods allowed this population to consolidate as one of the country’s main ethnic minorities, but this failed to eliminate the racial stigmatization imposed on Mexican (and later Hispanic) migrants by the dominant white culture since the second half of the 19th century. This has been reflected consistently in the current policies that U.S. immigration authorities have implemented on the border with Mexico.

Health and social correlates of dementia in oldest-old Mexican-origin populations.

IntroductionSubstantial gaps in research remain across oldest‐old ethnic populations while the burden of dementia increases exponentially with age among Mexican and Mexican American older adults.MethodsPrevalence and correlates of dementia among individuals ≥82 years of age were examined using two population‐based cohort studies: The Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS, n = 1078, 2012) and the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (HEPESE, n = 735, 2012–2013). The analytic MHAS and HEPESE samples had an average age of 86.4 and 88.0 years, 1.2 and 1.8 women to men, and 2.7 and 5.1 average years of education, respectively.ResultsWe identified 316 (29.2%) and 267 (36.3%) cases of likely dementia in the MHAS and HEPESE cohorts, respectively. For Mexicans but not Mexican Americans, age‐adjusted prevalence rates of likely dementia were higher in women than men. For both populations prevalence rates increased with age and decreased with education for Mexican Americans but not for Mexicans. In both populations, odds of likely dementia increased with age. Health insurance for the low‐income was significantly associated with higher odds of likely dementia for Mexican American men and women and Mexican women but not men. Living in extended households increased the odds of likely dementia in women, but not in men for both studies. Multiple cardiovascular conditions increased the odds of likely dementia for Mexicans but not for Mexican Americans.DiscussionOur study provides evidence of the high burden of dementia among oldest‐old Mexicans and Mexican Americans and its association with health and social vulnerabilities.

AGING IN LATIN AMERICA: A FOCUS ON MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES

Population aging is occurring rapidly across Latin America, a region that includes some of the world’s most racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse populations. Aging in this region is occurring in a context of high levels of poverty and income inequality, which has implications for disease risk, cognitive health, and overall well-being. This symposium focuses on Mexico and Colombia, two of Latin America’s largest middle-income countries, which have recently undergone rapid epidemiological and demographic transitions. The papers in this symposium examine a variety of health dimensions among older Latinos that include physiological functioning, cognition, and psychological and physical well-being. García uses the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS) and the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to examine biomarkers known to predict health risk among Mexican-origin populations: Mexico-born living in Mexico, Mexico-born living in the U.S., and U.S.-born Mexican-Americans. Saenz examines the importance of education on late-life cognitive ability among Mexicans using data from the MHAS Cognitive Aging Ancillary Study. Using data from the Colombian Survey of Health, Well-Being, and Aging (SABE-Colombia), Ailshire examines variation in biological risk across key subgroups of the population. Osuna uses data from the Colombian National Quality of Life Survey (ENCV) to determine if social and economic inequalities are reflected in unequal health and well-being among older adults. Results highlight which Latin American populations have increased risk for poorer health, which merit further research and policy attention. The findings highlight the importance of understanding health and well-being in the rapidly growing older adult populations of Latin America.

Medicaid Use among Older Low-Income Medicare Enrollees in California and Texas: A Tale of Two States.

States face increasing Medicaid expenditures largely as a result of growing dual-eligible populations. In this article we examine self-reported community-based Medicaid participation among Medicare recipients 65 and older in California and Texas, with a particular focus on the older Mexican-origin population. We use six waves of the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (H-EPESE) covering the period from 1993-94 to 2010-11. The data reveal relatively high Medicaid participation rates by older individuals of Mexican origin, but significant differences between the two states. At baseline, 30% of older Mexican-origin Medicare beneficiaries in California reported receiving Medicaid compared to 41% in Texas. Despite California's more liberal eligibility criteria, community-dwelling Texans were more likely than Californians to report coverage at some point during the 17-year follow-up. Our data, as well as administrative data, reveal that California classifies nearly all of its community-dwelling Medicaid recipients as "full duals," meaning that they receive full benefits, whereas Texas is more likely to classify similarly poor and disabled individuals as "partial duals," meaning that they receive less coverage, thereby lowering overall program expenditures. Cost containment strategies that restrict access may be especially consequential for vulnerable Hispanic populations.

Maternal depression and acculturative stress impacts on Mexican-origin children through authoritarian parenting

Depression and acculturative stress are common among Latina mothers, yet little is known about how these variables are related to parenting practices and in turn, to the mental health functioning of their young children. The present study used a sample of Mexican-origin mothers of 3- to 6-year-old children (N = 175) to test a model of maternal depression and acculturative stress as predictors of child internalizing and externalizing problems, mediated by authoritarian and authoritative parenting practices. Results showed that maternal depressive symptoms and acculturative stress were associated with child internalizing, but not externalizing, problems. Only authoritarian practices mediated these associations. Results highlight the importance of considering sociocultural context in the study of child mental health in Mexican-origin populations.

The Relationship Between Educational Attainment and Health Care Access and Use Among Mexicans, Mexican Americans, and U.S.-Mexico Migrants.

The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between educational attainment and health care access and use among Mexican-origin populations. Data from the 2012 Mexican National Health and Nutrition Study, the 2013 Project Migrante Health Care Access and Utilization Survey, and the 2013-2014 California Health Interview Survey were used to examine educational gradients in health insurance, medical home, and hospitalization among Mexicans in Mexico, northbound, southbound, and deported migrants, and U.S.-and foreign-born Mexican Americans. College graduates had greater odds of being insured relative to those with less than a high school degree among Mexicans (AOR = 1.48, p < 0.001), northbound migrants (AOR = 3.69, p < 0.001), and the foreign-born (AOR = 2.01, p < 0.01), and of having a medical home among Mexicans (AOR = 1.95, p < 0.001) and the foreign-born (AOR = 2.14, p < 0.05). Eliminating differences by educational attainment in the U.S. will require policy changes like making immigrants eligible for public insurance. In Mexico, it will require targeted outreach to enroll underserved populations in existing public insurance programs.

The utility of genomic public databases to mitochondrial haplotyping in contemporary Mestizo population of Mexican origin

There are different public databases and open access information that can be exploited to be reused in different research projects. With this concept in mind, we carried out a study to answer the question about the prevalence of haplogroups in human populations of modern Mexico. Since the publication of genomic and mitochondrial data in Latin American populations are very scarce and with very small samples, our work proposes to consider the availability of genomic and genetic data collections that can be reused for other purposes, different from those initially proposed in the investigations where the sequences were obtained. The objective of the present study was to explore the population structure of Mexico using available information in the public database. Through the search of information in the nucleotide database of National Center of Biotechnology Information (NCBI) of complete sequences of mitochondrial genome (16 Kb) of indigenous people, Mexican Mestizo population and Mexican-Americans living in the United States, they were classified according to the polymorphisms associated with haplogroups A, B, C and D reported in the literature as the most frequent. We obtained 283 sequences, of which 255 were selected with the criteria mentioned. The haplotyping results showed 113 different clades and subclades distributed in a general way in eight haplogroups. The most frequent groups that dominate the population were the haplogroup A with 90 individuals representing 36%, followed by haplogroup B in 65 individuals representing 26% of the sample.

Deconstructing US Marijuana Prohibition Policies in the Early Twentieth Century

In the early 1900s, cannabis was used widely as a medicinal drug. However, through the fi rst half of the twentieth century, marijuana became negatively associated with Mexican-origin populations in the United States. Anglo American views of race and class became central to the creation of legislation prohibiting marijuana. This article provides a sociohistorical analysis of the 1910–1930s period, when the cannabis prohibition movement was at its peak. An intersectional theory of marijuana prohibition is used to deconstruct the dominant theories that have been offered. Marijuana prohibition cannot be explained by any single factor, but stems from the intersection of multiple factors. Background factors include the historical use of marijuana in Mexico, immigration to the United States, racism, and the pharma–medical industrial complex. Foreground factors include cultural stereotyping and mass media, governmental bureaucratic entrepreneurship, and moral crusade movements. The intersection of these factors socially constructed both a stigmatized image of the Mexican and the present reality of marijuana prohibition. Research on the complex origins of marijuana prohibition can inform the present policy debate on medical and recreational use of cannabis in the United States.

Behavioral and subjective health changes in US and Mexico border residing participants in two promotora-led chronic disease preventive interventions.

Chronic diseases are the primary health burden among Mexican-origin populations and health promotion efforts have not been able to change negative population trends. This research presents behavioral and subjective health impacts of two related community health worker (CHW) interventions conducted in the US-Mexico border region. Pasos Adelante (United States) and Meta Salud (Mexico) are 12-13 week CHW-led preventive interventions implemented with Mexico-origin adults. Curricula include active learning modules to promote healthy dietary changes and increasing physical activity; they also incorporate strategies to promote social support, empowerment and group exercise components responsive to their communities. Questionnaire data at baseline (N = 347 for Pasos; 171 for Meta Salud), program completion and 3-month follow-up were analyzed. Results showed statistically significant improvements in multiple reported dietary, physical activity and subjective health indicators. Furthermore, at follow-up across both cohorts there were ≥10% improvements in participants' meeting recommended physical activity guidelines, consumption of whole milk, days of poor mental health and self-rated health. While this study identifies some robust health improvements and contributes to the evidence base for these interventions current dissemination, the lack of change observed for some targeted behaviors (e.g. time sitting) suggests they may have stronger overall impacts with curricula refinement.

The Trump Administration’s assault on health and social programs: potential consequences for older Hispanics

ABSTRACTHealth and social welfare policy proposals put forth by the Trump administration and Republican-controlled Congress could have huge impacts on low-income groups. This paper focuses on older Hispanics, with an emphasis on the Mexican-origin population who form the largest Hispanic subgroup. A demographic portrait is presented that indicates that Mexican-origin individuals have less wealth and lower incomes than do non-Hispanic Whites. Given rising health care costs, lower use of nursing homes, and greater propensity to live with grown children, prevailing economic disadvantage has serious consequences for this population. More restrictive immigration policies aimed at limiting family reunification could have intergenerational caregiving consequences. In addition, because of labor-force disadvantages, low-income Mexican-origin adults are less likely to have private insurance compared to non-Hispanic Whites as they approach retirement. Consequently, Mexican-origin older adults tend to rely on Medicaid when eligible; in contrast, late-life migrants—who do not qualify for federally funded benefits for at least five years—and unauthorized migrants—who are excluded from federally funded benefits—have extremely limited access to safety net provisions. The potential effects of proposed cutbacks in health care financing on older Hispanics are discussed.