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Biomedical subjects

R G Rumbaut

Publications and source records attributed to R G Rumbaut.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Infant mortality among ethnic immigrant groups.

The numerically large and growing Indochinese refugee population has been little studied with respect to infant health. It is a population that is young, is experiencing high fertility, late onset of prenatal care, and is characterized by low socioeconomic status. Thus, it presents a high risk profile with respect to infant mortality. Using linked birth and infant death records for the San Diego metropolitan area for the period 1978-85 infant mortality rates (IMRs) were calculated for Indochinese refugee groups from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia in comparison with other ethnic groups. We found, surprisingly, that Indochinese refugees as a group had an IMR below that for non-Hispanic Whites and substantially below that for Blacks. In general, IMRs for Indochinese refugees were similar to those for other Asian groups. These findings held even after controlling for birth weight and onset of prenatal care. The timing and causes of death suggest areas in which the IMR could drop to even lower levels with improved community outreach programs, especially among refugee groups from Laos (Hmong and Lao) who exhibited the unusual pattern of higher post-early neonatal than early neonatal mortality.

Birth Weight↗
PubMed1990

AIDS-phobia and political reaction in California: student versus public responses to reactive political initiatives.

A "social reactivist" study was conducted of the responses of 563 students enrolled in a Southern California university compared with those of a random sample of 1002 Californians telephone-polled by the California Poll. The study focused on AIDS-phobia, the fear of getting AIDS or the AIDS virus, HIV, from casual contact. In both samples, AIDS-phobia correlated well with reactive political sentiment. Students who were AIDS-phobic were expected to vote in favor of proquarantine initiatives (Proposition 64 in 1986 and Proposition 69 in June 1988). California Poll respondents who were AIDS-phobic, likewise, were expected to vote in favor of Proposition 102 (November 1988) which required reporting HIV-positive patients to local health officers. In the student samples, however, AIDS-phobia was found by factor analysis to have two subsets: AIDS-phobia-Wet and AIDS-phobia-Dry. These did not appear in the California Poll results. In the 1988 student sample, AIDS-phobia-Wet was significant in explaining proquarantine sentiment, while AIDS-phobia-Dry proved significant in explaining sexual activity. The converse was not true. AIDS-phobia is a major characteristic of the social audience to AIDS as a disease and may prove decisive in the evolution of the disease. Support for the victim (or lack of it) may influence the course of the disease and even public funding to fight the disease. AIDS-phobia may also blind heterosexuals to their own vulnerability, thus making them vulnerable to the disease.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1976

The family in exile: Cuban expatriates in the United States.

For the nearly one million Cuban exiles in this country, the ordeal of expatriation has meant anguish and uprootedness, challenge and accomplishment. Several factors account for the comparatively successful aspects of their struggle: relatively high occupational and educational levels, formation of vigorous communities that permit the maintenance of a positive ethnic consciousness and the creation of strong social ties, and effectively organized reception by the United States. Expatriation is always traumatic and produces "casualties," but mastery of the struggles it involves can lead to personal growth and expanded horizons. The Cuban expatriate experience shows that the influx of large numbers of refugees can be a creative and enriching process for both the host country and the individual refugee.

Cuba↗
PubMedDate not supplied

High fertility among Indochinese refugees.

From 1975 to 1988, nearly 900,000 Indochinese refugees were resettled in the United States. This paper examines patterns of fertility among these refugees from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam who have exhibited high levels of reproduction since their arrival. Data are drawn from sample surveys in San Diego and San Francisco, CA. Fertility levels were found to exceed five children per ever-married woman, a level that is consistent with perceptions of ideal family size in the homeland. Fertility levels were significantly higher among rural second-wave refugees than in the more urban first-wave groups. One explanation for the high fertility is that couples have migrated from areas where fertility is high, and they have not yet adapted their reproductive behavior to the low fertility environment of the United States. This possibility is reinforced by a general gender preference for boys and exacerbated by the fact that, while a majority of women are aware of methods of fertility control, access is still limited by cultural and financial barriers, and the motivation to use family planning still appears to be relatively low. The data suggest that this refugee population will continue to put pressure on maternal and child health resources, and that continued residence in the United States could lead to desires to limit family size, thus increasing demand for methods of fertility control.

Adult↗