Mexican Origin Research Articles

Confiabilidad y validez de una escala de conciencia sobre salud sexual en migrantes de México en tránsito hacia Estados Unidos

Los contagios por VIH siguen en aumento. Las poblaciones migrantes que cruzan la frontera hacia Estados Unidos se consideran en riesgo. La conciencia sobre salud sexual es una variable importante para prevenir Infecciones de Transmisión Sexual (ITS)-Virus de Inmunodeficiencia Humana (VIH)/Sida, pero actualmente no existe un instrumento en español para medirla. El propósito fue evaluar las características psicométricas de la traducción y adaptación cultural de la Scale of Health Consciousness en 160 migrantes de la frontera norte de México en tránsito a EE. UU. El muestreo fue aleatorio sistemático, se utilizó la metodología del Human Services Research Institute para su adaptación. Los participantes fueron de origen mexicano, 90% hombres, edad promedio de 39.75 y una media de 7.69 años de estudio, la escala presentó consistencia interna de 0.86 y buen ajuste factorial (X2/gl = 2.397, p < 0.001) - (CFI = 0.92 – GFI = 0.92). El instrumento final se considera fiable y con validez de constructo aceptable por lo que se recomienda continuar utilizándolo.

Local reception of global media texts: Telenovelas as sites of cultural mixture in Ghana

Telenovelas have had phenomenal success as global media texts, but their continuous export to Africa has signifi cant cultural implications. Using hybridity theory and Stuart Hall’s encoding/decoding model of audience reception, this paper assessed the extent to which Simply Maria, an ‘indigenised’ telenovela of Mexican origin, infl uenced the local identity of Ghanaian viewers and the mechanisms through which this occurred. Interviews with regular viewers revealed that the telenovela shaped views about personal identity. This occurred through internalisation, value-based evaluations and identifi cation with characters. Viewers decoded the telenovela from a negotiated position, a development which calmed the homogenising currents of globalisation feared by cultural theorists.

Personality traits and parent-adolescent interactions: An observational study of Mexican origin families.

Parent-child interactions are likely influenced by the personality characteristics of both the parent and the child. However, questions remain concerning the bidirectional nature of these effects (e.g., does a child's personality evoke changes in his or her parent's behavior?). Furthermore, the existing literature is based primarily on European American children and generally relies on questionnaire measures of parent-child interactions rather than assessing behavior during observed interactions. To address these gaps in the literature, the authors evaluated reciprocal associations between personality traits and observed interactions between Mexican origin adolescents (N = 674) and their parents in 5th- and 7th-grade using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (Kenny, Kashy, & Cook, 2006). Adolescent effortful control and aggressiveness were associated with adolescent warmth and hostility (i.e., actor effects) and parent warmth and hostility (i.e., partner effects). Thus, adolescents with poor self-control seem to evoke more negative behaviors from their parents than adolescents with better self-control. Parental extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism predicted parent warmth (actor effects), but there was little evidence that parent personality was associated with specific adolescent behaviors (partner effects). These results help to clarify how personality attributes are associated with adolescent relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record

Radiographic Evaluation of the Presence/Agenesis of Third Molars in a Mexican Child Population

In the human being, third molar is the tooth that exhibits more variants during its embryologic development, usually causing diverse anomalies and discomfort when erupting to the oral cavity. It has been pointed out that the prevalence of third molar agenesis is between 9 to 37%. The aim of the present comparative cross-sectional study was to radiographically assess the presence/absence of third molar germs (G3M) in a sample of pediatric patients of Mexican origin. A total of 513 panoramic radiographs were analyzed from patients attending the Pediatric Dentistry Postgraduate Program ( San Luis Potosí University, México), during the years 2011 to 2017. Inclusion criteria were patients between 7 and 18 years old, any gender; children with antecedents of a third molar extraction, previous orthodontic treatment, or with an associated congenital or systemic condition were excluded. Total prevalence G3M agenesis was calculated. Then, statistical comparisons of agenesia proportions per dental quadrant, gender, and age group were performed. 245 panoramic radiographs corresponded to the female gender, while 268 belonged to the male gender. The total prevalence of G3M agenesia was estimated in nearly 56%, and the 7-8 years old group exhibited the highest proportion; however, when this age group was excluded from the analysis, such prevalence decreased to 27.3%. Both mandibular quadrants showed higher proportions of G3M agenesia. There were no significant differences between genders. The total prevalence reported in the present study was found to be well above regarding the international parameters. It is quite possible that lack of radiographic visualization of G3M had been inaccurate in some cases due to the common absence of calcification traces from those teeth during early ages (7-8 years old). The adjusted analysis provided a prevalence value more in line with the recognized standards in the dental literature.

The Presence of the Bat’a Shoe Company in Central America and the Caribbean in the Interwar Period (1920-1930)

This article addresses the presence of the famous Czechoslovak shoe company Bat’a in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean during the 1920s and 1930s. It is a topic that has not yet been properly researched by historians; therefore this work can shed some light on the activity of Czechoslovak companies in Latin America. The objective is to compare Bat’a’s influence in the countries of the respective region and study where it was successful and why and where it was not. This comparative and quantitative analysis is based mainly on the unpublished archive material of Czech and Mexican origin. These sources are supplemented by memoirs of several Bat’a’s officials present in the region and published in some local Czechoslovak newspapers.

Association of added sugar intake and caries-related experiences among individuals of Mexican origin.

Determine the association between key dental outcomes and added sugar intake using a survey instrument to assess added sugars, which was specifically tailored to immigrant and US-born adults of Mexican origin. Hispanic adults of Mexican origin (n=326; 36.2±12.1years) completed a self-administered survey to gather acculturation, self-reported dental experiences and self-care practices (eg brushing, flossing, pain, bleeding gums), and socio-demographic information. The survey included a culturally tailored 22-item Added Sugar Intake Estimate (ASIE) that assessed added sugar intake from processed foods and sugar-sweetened beverages in a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire format. Linear regression, 2-sample t test, and ANOVA were used to evaluate associations of demographic and dental outcomes with daily added sugar intake. Of the mean total daily added sugar intake (99.6±94.6g), 36.5±44.4g was derived from sugar-containing foods and snacks, and 63.1±68.2g from beverages. Participants who reported greater added sugar intake were more likely to have reported the presence of a toothache in the preceding 12months, having been prescribed antibiotics for dental reasons, being less likely to floss daily, have reported eating or drinking within 1hour before bed and have lower psychological acculturation (P<.05 for all). Results were comparable when assessing intake from sugar-containing foods/snacks and sugar-sweetened beverages. This study confirmed the association between added sugar intake and self-reported dental outcomes among adults of Mexican origin and points to an urgent need to improve dietary behaviours in this population.

Attitudes towards research in persons of Mexican origin at-risk for autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease (P1.180)

Attitudes towards research in persons of Mexican origin at-risk for autosomal dominant Alzheimer’s disease (P1.180)

The Perspective of Older Men With Depression on Suicide and Its Prevention in Primary Care.

Suicide rates in older men are higher than in the general population, yet their utilization of mental health services is lower. This study aimed to describe: (a) what primary care providers (PCPs) can do to prevent late-life suicide, and (b) older men's attitudes toward discussing suicide with a PCP. Thematic analysis of interviews focused on depression and suicide with 77 depressed, low-socioeconomic status, older men of Mexican origin, or US-born non-Hispanic whites recruited from primary care. Several themes inhibiting suicide emerged: it is a problematic solution, due to religious prohibition, conflicts with self-image, the impact on others; and, lack of means/capacity. Three approaches to preventing suicide emerged: talking with them about depression, talking about the impact of their suicide on others, and encouraging them to be active. The vast majority, 98%, were open to such conversations. An unexpected theme spontaneously arose: "What prevents men from acting on suicidal thoughts?" Suicide is rarely discussed in primary care encounters in the context of depression treatment. Our study suggests that older men are likely to be open to discussing suicide with their PCP. We have identified several pragmatic approaches to assist clinicians in reducing older men's distress and preventing suicide.

Men of Mexican Origin Who Abuse Women: A Qualitative Study.

Current literature indicates that intimate partner violence is a complex phenomenon that exists worldwide. However, little is known about why some men of Mexican origin abuse women. This descriptive study was conducted to understand the experiences of men of Mexican origin who abuse their intimate partners. A qualitative research design was used to conduct this study in a south Texas border community adjacent to the United States-Mexico border. This study builds on existing research and furthers the knowledge related to the factors contributing to intimate partner violence, including cultural factors. The results also reinforce the negative impacts of intimate partner violence on children and the family structure. Further research is needed to support the development of a culturally appropriate prevention and intervention program for men of Mexican origin who abuse women and their families.

Effect of Middle School Interventions on Alcohol Misuse and Abuse in Mexican American High School Adolescents

Substance abuse preventive interventions frequently target middle school students and demonstrate efficacy to prevent early onset and use of alcohol and illicit drugs. However, evidence of sustained results to prevent later patterns of alcohol misuse and more serious alcohol abuse disorders has been lacking, particularly for US Latino populations. To test whether a universal middle school prevention program can reduce the frequency of alcohol misuse and rates of alcohol use disorder 5 years after implementation with a Mexican American sample. A previous randomized clinical trial was conducted with 516 Mexican American 7th graders and at least 1 parent who identified as having Mexican origin. Three annual cohorts of families were recruited from rosters of 4 middle schools and randomized to the 9-session Bridges/Puentes family-focused group intervention or a workshop control condition. Recruitment, screening, pretest, and randomization occurred in the same academic year for each cohort: 2003-2004, 2004-2005, and 2005-2006. Data acquisition for the follow-up assessments of late-adolescent alcohol misuse and abuse, which were not included in the initial randomized clinical trial, was conducted from September 2009 to September 2014; analysis was conducted between August 2016 and July 2017. In this assessment, 420 children (81.4%) of the sample were included, when the majority were in their final year of high school. The 9-session Bridges/Puentes intervention integrated youth, parent, and family intervention sessions that were delivered in the spring semester at each school, with separate groups for English-dominant vs Spanish-dominant families. The control workshop was offered during the same semester at each school, also in English and Spanish. Primary outcomes were diagnostic assessment of lifetime alcohol use disorder in the 12th grade, 5 years after the intervention, based on the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children and past-year frequency of alcohol use, binge drinking, and drunkenness based on the 2001 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Of the 420 participants, 215 (51.2%) were girls (mean [SD] age, 17.9 [0.62] years). The intervention reduced the likelihood of having an alcohol use disorder (β = -.93; SE, 0.47; P = .047; odds ratio, 0.39). Intervention associations with past-year alcohol use frequency, binge drinking, and drunkenness were moderated by baseline substance use. The intervention reduced the frequency of alcohol use (β = -.51; SE, 0.24; P = .04; Cohen d = 0.43) and drunkenness (β = -.51; SE, 0.26; P = .049; Cohen d = 0.41) among youth who reported any previous substance use at baseline (T1 initiators) but not among those who had not initiated any substance use (T1 abstainers) at baseline. For past-year binge drinking, the intervention finding did not reach statistical significance among T1 initiators (β = -.40; SE, 0.23; P = .09) or T1 abstainers (β = .23; SE, 0.14; P = .11). Study results support an association between a universal middle school intervention and alcohol misuse and alcohol use disorders among Mexican American high school students and implementation of universal middle school interventions to reach Latino communities.

Acculturation, Cultural Values, and Breastfeeding in Overweight or Obese, Low-Income, Hispanic Women at 1 Month Postpartum

Most Hispanic infants are fed formula during the first 6 weeks, and although 80% of Hispanic women initiate breastfeeding, rates of exclusive breastfeeding are much lower. Research aim: The purpose was to examine the influence of acculturation and cultural values on the breastfeeding practices of pregnant women of Mexican descent participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children who were enrolled in a prospective randomized clinical trial that aimed to reduce child obesity. The data were abstracted from a larger randomized clinical trial focused on prevention of child obesity. The sample consisted of 150 women of Mexican origin who were enrolled at the time of these analyses from the randomized clinical trial and had a prepregnancy body mass index of ≥ 25 and spoke English and/or Spanish. All breastfeeding data for this report came from data collection at 1 month postpartum. A higher score on the Anglo orientation scale of the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans was associated with less breastfeeding at 1 month postpartum and less exclusive breastfeeding. Acculturation plays a role in breastfeeding practice. Exploring acculturation associated with breastfeeding can guide us to design culturally relevant interventions to promote breastfeeding exclusivity among immigrant mothers.

Factors associated with seeking preventive dental care: an integrative model exploration of behaviors in Mexican immigrants in Midwest America

BackgroundMexican immigrants in the United States suffer from poor oral health. The objective of the current study was to explore the utility of applying theory-based factors associated with seeking preventive dental care in a sample of Mexican American adults.MethodsData were collected from a cross-sectional survey of a sample of 157 people of Mexican origin (64% female; age 34 ± 11 years) recruited primarily from church congregations and lay community organizations in Central Indiana. Using the Integrative Model of Behavioral Prediction as the guiding framework, structural equation modeling was used to test factors associated with intention to seek preventive dental care.ResultsAttitude towards seeking preventive dental care (estimate = 0.37; p < .0001) and self-efficacy for seeking preventive dental care (estimate = 0.68; p < .0001) were associated with intention to seek preventive dental care. The association between dental beliefs and intention to seek preventive dental care was mediated by attitude and self-efficacy (indirect effect = 0.26, p = .002), and the association between past behavior and intention to seek preventive dental care was mediated by self-efficacy (indirect effect = 0.26, p = .003).ConclusionsThese findings suggest that interventions to increase preventive dental care seeking behavior among Mexican Americans should focus on changing attitudes toward seeking preventive dental care and on increasing self-efficacy to seek preventive dental care. Findings also support the use of interventions to influence dental beliefs.

Preparing bilingual teachers on the U.S./Mexico border: including the voices of emergent bilinguals

ABSTRACT Language policies in the U.S., including matters relating to bilingual education, are tangled up with political tensions and ideology. All too often, the dialogue among educators and policymakers about what constitutes best practices for people learning English – for whom we will use the term emergent bilinguals (EBs) (Garcia, Kleifgen and Falchi 2008) – fails to include the voices of those they serve. The Rio Grande Valley (RGV) of South Texas provides a uniquely valuable laboratory in which to study bilingual education because of its location, demographic makeup, and migration patterns. In this study, a pedagogical intervention was made with a cohort of teacher candidates studying at a university in South Texas; the participants had themselves experienced bilingual education, as children, in RGV public schools. The implications of this study can be extended to teacher preparation for other minority communities receiving majority language instruction. The analysis based on transcripts of focus group discussions and asynchronous online discussions among 26 teacher candidates, of Mexican origin or descent, applies LatCrit theory and illustrates the development of a critical awareness of the hegemonic forces impacting the linguistic development of EB students such as themselves.

932: Words Matter: Measured Impact of Political Rhetoric on Timely & Regular Access of Prenatal Care Among Latino & Hispanic Women in Houston, Texas from 2011-2017

Timely & regular access to prenatal care (PNC) is a long accepted global predictor of decreased maternal & infant morbidity and mortality. In the US, recent vital statistics data suggest a concerning increase in maternal mortality; Texas has the highest rate in the developed world. Given the high number of both undocumented and uninsured residents in Texas, we sought to determine if recent political rhetoric might be a contributing factor lending to diminished PNC and resultant maternal morbidity. IRB approved population-based cohort study (8/2011-7/2017). In their native language, subjects were consented & queried regarding country of origin, time in US, insurance, education and household income. Up to 4900 additional variables were abstracted including documentation of prenatal visits (PNV), antenatal and intrapartum care & lab values. Publicly available google search trends were mined for search terms “Make America Great Again”, “Mexico wall” and “Deportation” in the southern US. The time of first deviation from the mode google search popularity value for each term was ascertained (mode inflection). Perinatal data was averaged over 15 day moving windows to determine mean days from conception to 1st PNV, number of PNVs, and intrapartum nadir hemoglobin (Hgb) as a proxy for likely iron deficiency and/or PPH. Linear regression and Student's t-tests were used to determine linear trends and mean differences before and after mode inflection. 24,933 occurred during the study period. A mode inflection date of 7/1/2015 was extrapolated from the google search analytics (Fig 1A). Coincident with the mode inflection, there was a significant increase in days until first PNV, fewer PNVs and a decreased trend of mean Hgb nadir (Fig 1B). These observations were notably significant among gravidae of Central American and Mexican origin, but not South Americans (Fig 1C). Our findings are of likely significant public health importance, and suggest that recent political rhetoric alters timely and regular access to PNC among nearly 25,000 deliveries in Texas. We speculate that such rhetoric lends to delayed and diminished PNC in vulnerable populations, and may contribute to maternal mortality in our region. These observations are worth of future causal analysis.

Age-at-Death Estimation for Modern Populations in Mexico and Puerto Rico through the Use of 3D Laser Scans of the Pubic Symphysis.

Reliable age-at-death estimates from the adult skeleton are of fundamental importance in forensic anthropology, because it contributes to the identity parameters used in a medicolegal death investigation. However, reliable estimates are difficult because many traditional aging methods depend on a set of population-specific criteria derived from individuals of European and African descent. The absence of information on the potential differences in the aging patterns of underrepresented, especially Latinx, populations may hinder our efforts to produce useful age-at-death estimates. In response to these concerns, this study explores the utility of currently available aging techniques and whether population-specific aging methods among Latinx groups are needed. The authors obtained data from two skeletal collections representing modern individuals of Mexican and Puerto Rican origin. They examined five newly developed computational shape-based techniques using 3D laser scans of the pubic symphysis and one traditional bone-to-phase technique. A validation test of all computational and traditional methods was implemented, and new population-specific equations using the computational algorithms were generated and tested against a subsample. Results suggest that traditional and computational aging techniques applied to the pubic symphysis perform best with individuals within 35-45 years of age. Levels of bias and inaccuracy increase as chronological age increases, with overestimation of individuals younger than 35 years and underestimation of individuals older than 45 years. New regression models provided error rates comparable to, and in some occasions outperformed, the original computational models developed on white American males, but age estimates did not significantly improve. This study shows that population-specific models do not necessarily improve age estimates in Latinx samples. Results do suggest that computational methods can ultimately outperform the Suchey-Brooks method and provide improved objectivity when estimating age at death in Latinx samples.

Exploring how bicultural and assimilated children of Mexican origin influence their Latina mothers' diet: Perspectives from mothers and children

Exploring how bicultural and assimilated children of Mexican origin influence their Latina mothers' diet: Perspectives from mothers and children

Education, bilingualism, and cognitive trajectories: Sacramento Area Latino Aging Study (SALSA).

This study examined the influence of education, country where education occurred, and monolingual-bilingual (English/Spanish) language usage on late life cognitive trajectories in the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging (SALSA), an epidemiological study of health and cognition in Hispanics, mostly of Mexican origin, age 60 and over (N = 1,499). SALSA followed a large cohort of older Latinos for up to 7 assessment waves from 1998 to 2007. Global cognition was assessed by using the Modified Mini Mental State Examination, and the Spanish English Verbal Learning Test was used to measure episodic memory. Education, country of origin, and language usage patterns were collected at the baseline assessment and used as predictors of longitudinal trajectories of cognition. Parallel process mixed effects models were used to examine effects of education and language variables on baseline cognition and rate of cognitive decline. Mixed effects longitudinal models showed that education had strong effects on baseline global cognition and verbal memory but was not related to decline over up to 9 years of longitudinal follow-up. Differences in education effects between subgroups educated in Mexico and in the United States were minor. Monolingual-bilingual language usage was not related to cognitive decline, and bilinguals did not significantly differ from monolingual English speakers on baseline cognitive scores. Hypotheses that higher education and bilingualism protect against late life cognitive decline were not supported and education effects on late-life cognitive trajectories did not substantially differ across U.S.- and Mexico-educated groups. (PsycINFO Database Record

Temporal, Geographic and Identification Trends in Craniometric Estimates of Ancesty for Persons of Latin American Origin

Recent genotypic analyses of U.S.-Mexico border-crossing fatalities reveal greater indigenous ancestry in individuals who are currently unidentified and have been recovered in more recent years—called an “identification bias” in the forensic case analysis of Hispanics of Mexican origin. Given the implications of these findings for the human identification process, this study uses craniometrics to validate these genotypic results. We test if the dynamic temporal, geographic, and identification trends in Hispanic casework revealed with genetic ancestry information can be reproduced with ancestry estimates derived from the cranium. We find an inverse relationship between the amount of European and Native American ancestry and an increased representation of peoples with more Native American ancestry in more recent years. Our results support the identification bias as the individuals with greater Native American ancestry are less likely to have complete case information, particularly birthplace, on record and are more often assigned low identity status scores. KEYWORDS: ancestry, Admixed Native American, Hispanic population, Latin America, U.S.-Mexico border, undocumented migrant deaths, skeletal identification, geographic structure, temporal trends, craniometrics, genetics

The role of religious attendance on mental health among Mexican populations: A contribution toward the discussion of the immigrant health paradox.

In this study, we conducted a path analysis on data from the National Latino and Asian American Study to investigate the role of religious attendance on mental health among Mexican populations. Using data from 868 Latinos of Mexican origin, we further investigated the extent to which religious attendance mediated the direct path between generation status and lifetime prevalence rates of any substance use disorder, depressive disorder, and anxiety disorder. Results indicate that Mexican immigrants endorsed lower lifetime prevalence rates of depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, and substance use disorder and endorsed higher levels of religious attendance. Second, results indicate a significant negative relationship between religious attendance and prevalence rates for depressive disorder, anxiety disorder, and substance use disorder. Third, results indicate that religious attendance was a mediator for the relationship between generation status and the lifetime prevalence rates of substance use disorder only. These results provide a contribution toward the discussion of the immigrant health paradox and further highlight the role that religious attendance plays in the relationship between generational status and the lifetime prevalence rates of substance use disorder. (PsycINFO Database Record

Use of Internet for General and Dental Health along Acculturation Features in a Sample of Mexican Americans.

The objectives of this study were to explore self-reported Internet and electronic platforms used to search for and store medical and dental information among people of Mexican origin. A sample of adults self-identified as European American (250) and as Mexican American (255), residing in Central Indiana, answered a one-time survey that included technology use questions and measured acculturation via the Psychological-Behavioral Acculturation Scale. Overall use of information technologies was estimated through an Information and Communication Technology score. Overall, participants with higher scores searched online for general and oral health information at higher rates than those with lower scores. Younger Mexican Americans and those with higher use scores were more likely to search online for general health information, as were those more psychologically and behaviorally acculturated. Interestingly, Mexican Americans were more likely than European Americans to search online for dental health information. All participants demonstrated high interest in accessing and storing their own health information especially on paper format; storage in other places, such as personal computers, smartphones, or USB flash drives, was less endorsed. Most participants would allow spouses access to their health records; however, there were significant differences between both population groups regarding access given to physicians, dentists and other family members, with Mexican Americans reporting more restrictions. Our findings provide initial information on differential use pattern of electronic health resources among Mexican Americans and suggest that new information technologies reach population groups traditionally underserved; such features may help address disparities in general and dental health.