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PubMed2003

Introduction of HIV type 1 non-B subtypes into Eastern Andalusia through immigration.

A study of the distribution of HIV-1 subtypes in the native and immigrant populations of Eastern Andalusia (Southern Spain) was conducted to determine any changes between 1983 and 2001 and to identify antiretroviral resistance mutations in non-B subtype strains among the immigrant population. The study included 111 native patients from Eastern Andalusia: 94 infected with HIV before 1996 and 17 infected since 1996. A parallel study was conducted on 26 HIV-positive immigrants from Africa. Subtyping was done with the heteroduplex mobility assay. Resistance mutations were determined by line probe assay. A total of 137 patients were studied: 9.2% had subtype A (n = 12), 80.8% subtype B (n = 105), and 1.5% subtype C (n = 2). Among the Eastern Andalusia population infected before 1996, 10.9% had non-B subtypes, compared with 23.5% of those infected after that year. The greatest percentage of non-B subtypes (52.4%) was found among the immigrant population. Resistance mutation K70R was detected in one of the six immigrants with non-B subtype and M41L in another. There has been a slight increase in the diversity of HIV-1 subtypes in Eastern Andalusia over the past few years, possibly influenced by non-B subtypes introduced by immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa.

Adult↗

PubMed1999

The effects of density dependence and immigration on local adaptation and niche evolution in a black-hole sink environment.

We examine the effects of density dependence and immigration on local adaptation in a "black-hole sink" habitat, i.e., a habitat in which isolated populations of a species would tend to extinction but where a population is demographically maintained by recurrent one-way migration from a separate source habitat in which the species persists. Using a diploid, one-locus model of a discrete-generation sink population maintained by immigration from a fixed source population, we show that a locally favored allele will spread when rare in the sink if the absolute fitness (or, in some cases, the geometric-mean absolute fitness) of heterozygotes with the favored allele is above one in the sink habitat. With density dependence, the criterion for spread can depend on the rate of immigration, because immigration affects local densities and, hence, absolute fitness. Given the successful establishment of a locally favored allele, it will be maintained by a migration-selection balance and the resulting polymorphic population will be sustained deterministically with either stable or unstable dynamics. The densities of stable polymorphic populations tend to exceed densities that would be maintained in the absence of the favored allele. With strong density regulation, spread of the favored allele may destabilize population dynamics. Our analyses show that polymorphic populations which form subsequent to the establishment of favorable alleles have the capacity to persist deterministically without immigration. Finally, we examined the probabilistic rate at which new favored alleles arise and become established in a sink population. Our results suggest that favored alleles are established most readily at intermediate levels of immigration.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Immigrant suicide in Australia, Canada, England and Wales, and the United States.

"Factors influencing the suicide rates of numerous immigrants in groups in Australia, Canada, England and Wales, and the United States during the period 1959-73 were examined.... For males, the foreign-born in England and Wales had the lowest suicide rates and the foreign-born in the United States the highest. For females the variation was smaller, with immigrants in the United States having the lowest rates, and those in Australia the highest.... In each destination significant correlations existed between the suicide rates of the immigrants and those of the origin populations, indicating that the suicide rates for individual immigrant groups were to some extent predisposed by their experiences in the origin countries. Factors in the destination country also influenced immigrant suicide rates, as the rates of the majority of the immigrant groups converged towards the rates of the destination native-born.... The analyses also suggested that migration is more deleterious for females than males."

Americas↗

PubMed2004

A prevalence estimate of pervasive developmental disorder among immigrants to Israel and Israeli natives- a file review study.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence rates of pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) have risen in the West over the last 10 years. There is argument over the etiology of this change in rates. Social and cultural processes including migration have been hypothesized. Israel, as a country of ongoing immigration with a national registry of children diagnosed with PDD, offers an opportunity to compare rates of PDD among immigrants from developing countries and native Israelis. METHOD: A Social Security national registry of 1004 children diagnosed with PDD was reviewed and rates were calculated using data extracted from the Israel National Bureau of Statistics. Of all Jewish children that were born in the years 1983-1997 and who are currently living in Israel, we defined four groups: (1). native Israelis of non-Ethiopian extraction (N = 1198, 300), (2). native Israelis of Ethiopian extraction (N = 15600), (3). immigrants of non-Ethiopian extraction (N = 110300) and (4). children born in Ethiopia (N = 11800). A further breakdown of groups 1 and 3 by well-characterized ethnic or geographical origins was not possible. RESULTS: The rate of PDD was significantly elevated in native Israelis as compared to all immigrant children. Among immigrants, the rate of PDD in Ethiopian-born children was lower than that of those born in other countries. The rate of PDD in immigrant Ethiopian children was much lower than in native Israeli children of Ethiopian extraction. CONCLUSIONS: Birth in Israel, an industrialized country, is a marker for an environmental risk factor for PDD. This may indicate that gestation, birth or infancy in industrialized countries exposes children to environmental insults that increase the risk for contracting PDD.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Psychosocial adaptation of immigrant Greek children from the former Soviet Union.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to assess psychiatric disorders in, and the psychosocial adaptation and academic performance of, children of immigrant families of Greek origin from countries of the former Soviet Union. METHOD: At a preliminary stage, all immigrant children (276) aged 8-12 years attending 22 schools in a working-class suburb of Athens were assessed by their teachers in terms of behaviour and academic performance. They and their families had migrated to Greece within the previous three years. A matching control group of native children (251) attending the same schools and classes was also assessed. For an in-depth assessment of psychopathology and social adaptation, 65 immigrant and 41 native children were randomly selected from the two larger groups and were further assessed. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were observed between the immigrant and native children in terms of psychopathology and social adaptation, although a few differences were observed in subscales. However, there were significant differences between the groups in academic performance, that of the immigrant group being poorer, particularly in language-related areas (p < 0.01). In the light of these results, language enrichment classes are suggested for immigrant children who need them.

Child↗

PubMed2005

Bodily pain and associated mental distress among immigrant adolescents. A population-based cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe differences among immigrant groups in bodily pain, and analyze its association with mental distress. METHOD: A population-based cross-sectional study was carried out involving tenth grade pupils in Oslo. Of the 7,343 pupils that participated, one-quarter were first- or second-generation immigrants. The Hopkins Symptom Checklist-10 was used to measure mental distress. All information on pain and mental distress was self-reported. RESULTS: Girls reported more bodily pain from all types of pain. Headache was the most prevalent pain site across gender and immigrant groups. Strong associations between mental distress and number of pain sites were found for all immigrant groups. Neck and shoulder pain yielded the highest odds ratio (OR) for mental distress among the majority of the immigrant groups. The Sub-Saharan African group had the highest adjusted OR for mental distress [OR=9.8 (1.1-82.7)] when reporting three or more pain sites, and the Indian Subcontinent the lowest [OR=4.0 (1.8-8.8)]. CONCLUSION: The differences in number and types of pain were small, though significant between the different immigrant groups. Adolescents from Sub-Saharan Africa seem to react with more mental distress to bodily pain than adolescents emigrating from the Indian Subcontinent.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Stroke risk among Chinese immigrants in New York City.

BACKGROUND: Little is known of risk factors for stroke among Chinese immigrants to the United States. We have conducted a case-control study to identify risk factors for stroke among foreign-born Chinese in New York City. METHODS: From September 2000 to June 2003, 187 sequential stroke cases (44 hemorrhagic) and 204 controls matched on age, gender, and years since immigration were recruited from New York Downtown Hospital, which was located next to New York City Chinatown. Risk factor status was assessed by questionnaire interview and medical chart review, which included clinical factors, sociodemographic characteristics, personal and family histories, and behavior and lifestyle factors, as well as behavioral changes after immigration to the United States. RESULTS: For cases and controls, mean ages were 74.8 and 74.7 years, 47.3% of cases and 47.5% of controls were male, and mean years since immigration to the United States were 26.7 and 26.8, respectively. Sociodemographic characteristics and behavioral pattern including cigarette smoking, exercise, and usage of special diet or dietary supplements were similar between cases and controls. However, stroke patients were more likely to have hypertension (76% vs. 59%, p<or/=0.001), increased blood pressure (165/84 mmHg vs. 140/74 mmHg, p<or=0.001) and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) (10.1% vs. 4.3%, p<or=0.05), and less likely to consume poultry (odds ratio 0.80, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.59-1.00); fish (0.70, 95% CI 0.42-0.96), fruit and vegetable juice (0.83, 95% CI 0.70-0.95), and grains (0.79, 95% CI 0.62-0.96) than were controls. CONCLUSION: Among Chinese immigrants in New York City, as in general population, poor controlled hypertension was related to the risk of stroke. Therefore, Chinese immigrants presenting with hypertension and/or a family history of hypertension should be detected and followed up regularly to monitor the blood pressure level. In addition, difference in food intake between stroke and control patients may present an opportunity for behavior intervention to prevent stroke.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Diphtheria immunity of Albanian and other eastern European immigrants in Greece compared with the local population--the risk of reemergence in Greece.

A large number of immigrants have come to Greece from diphtheria-endemic countries during the past 8 years. Information on the immune status against diphtheria among immigrants from Albania and the New Independent States (NIS) of the former USSR, as well as the Greek population, is essential in planning public health control measures. The main objective of the study was to determine the risk of the spread of diphtheria if new cases arrived in the country. Diphtheria antitoxin (DAT) in sera from 185 healthy individuals from northern Greece and 227 immigrants from Albania and the NIS was titrated using a quantitative ELISA test. The participants were adults aged 22 to 46 years. Titers were considered as protective when DAT levels were higher or equal to 0.1 IU/ml. Albanian immigrants exhibited the highest rates of protective titers (99 of 167, 59.3%), while lower immunity rates were detected among immigrants from the NIS (20 of 60, 33.3%) (1.5 < OR = 2.9 < 5.4, p = 0.0007) as well as among Greek participants (47 of 185, 25.4%) (2.8 < OR = 4.4 < 7.0, p = 0.00001). Immunity rates did not differ between Greek and NIS participants. DAT levels of persons with protective titers differed between the three population groups (analysis of variance, p = 0.0005), with the highest mean DAT values detected among NIS immigrants (0.613 IU/ml). Lower values were found among protected Albanians (0.482 IU/ml) and Greeks (0.314 IU/ml). There was no significant age- and sex-related difference in immunity rates and DAT levels among the groups. The low immunity rates among Greek adults might suggest that they have had no natural contact with toxigenic strains of corynebacteria. A booster dose of diphtheria toxoid for local adults is recommended, to reduce their risk of acquiring toxigenic strains from individuals who may carry the bacteria without exhibiting clinical disease.

Adult↗

PubMed1996

Optimal immigration, education and growth in the long run.

"The paper extends Manning's model on education and balanced growth to include labour immigration. Each immigration unit is assumed to consist of one skilled worker and some unskilled members. The optimal immigration policy which maximizes the per capita steady-state consumption of the host country is derived. We show that optimal immigration policy can reduce the steady-state skilled labour ratio. More interesting still, contrary to the widespread belief that immigration of skilled workers hurts local skilled workers, it is the unskilled local workers whose interests are threatened by optimal immigration policy."

Demography↗

PubMed1996

Coping with additional stresses: comparative study of healthy and cancer patient new immigrants.

The adjustment and psychological distress of 166 cancer patients, who are new immigrants from the former Soviet Union, was assessed and compared to that of 288 healthy new immigrants from the the former Soviet Union. The healthy new immigrants had many adjustment problems and their psychological distress was fairly high. The cancer patients reported extremely severe psychological distress. In the healthy immigrants, age contributed to distress while family support had significant protective effects especially in the male immigrants. In the patients, these differences were even more extreme with family support being protective in the male group but not in the female group. Intrusiveness (IES) seems to be maladaptive adding to distress. The results clearly indicate that additional stresses, such as immigration, make cancer patients more vulnerable. The results also suggest possible interventions, especially those that will help to decrease intrusiveness.

Acculturation↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The effect of immigrants on natives' incomes through the use of capital.

"This paper deals with questions about the effects of immigrants on three types of capital: the private capital immigrants work with, the public (government) capital that immigrant workers use, and the public capital used for services by immigrants." The geographic focus is on the United States. The authors conclude that although the average cost to natives in 1975 dollars to provide services for immigrants is 4,172 dollars, this amount "is considerably smaller than the benefits of immigrants to natives through their relatively low use of welfare services and their relatively high contribution of taxes." Comments by Jacob Mincer (pp. 95-7) are included.

Americas↗

PubMed1995

The associations between immigrant status and risk-behavior patterns in Latino adolescents.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify differences in patterns of risk-taking behavior among Latino adolescents with respect to immigrant status and in comparison to their native non-Hispanic white counterparts. METHODS: In fall of 1988 and spring of 1989 a confidential Teen Health Risk Survey was administered to 1,789 students at two high schools in northern California, both of which have a school health center on-site, and which had large numbers of Latino students enrolled. We divided the Latino adolescent population into two groups: Latinos who were born in the United States (native-born Latinos) and Latinos who had immigrated to the United States (Latino immigrants). Eight different risk-taking behaviors were identified for this study: alcohol, cigarette, marijuana, illicit drug use, self-violence, drunk driving, unintended pregnancy, and violence. RESULTS: We found that in general, Latino students engaged in a greater number of risk-taking behaviors than native non-Hispanic whites. The mean number of risk behaviors was highest for Latino immigrants (1.78), followed by native-born Latinos (1.71), and native non-Hispanic whites (.99). A t-test revealed that non-Hispanic whites were statistically different from both Latino populations in either level of risk-taking behavior (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This sample of immigrant Latino students appeared to be vulnerable to engaging in risk-taking behaviors and did not exhibit the anticipated cultural protective factors associated with recent immigrants. The extent and variety of risk-taking behaviors clearly call for the development of culturally sensitive and accessible health education and health care services within a broader array of social, educational and support services.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

United States epidemiology of hepatitis A: influenced by immigrants visiting friends and relatives in Mexico?

Among the industrialized nations, the United States annually receives the greatest number of immigrants as permanent residents. Immigrants from Mexico have represented the largest segment of the foreign-born population in recent decades, and continued growth of Mexican immigration is predicted for the decades ahead. The changing demographics of this population, including the emergence of new immigrant growth centers, will influence the future epidemiology of hepatitis A virus transmission in the United States. Travel home to the place of origin to visit friends and relatives (VFR) by both newly arrived and established Mexican immigrants constitutes a new group of travelers that now include intergenerational family units. Asymptomatic pediatric travelers-who acquire hepatitis A abroad and are infectious on return to American communities-contribute to the silent transmission of hepatitis A to playmates, caretakers, and contacts in households, daycare facilities, and elementary schools. Considering the expanded geographic distribution of Mexican immigrant settlement, the predicted increased diversity of pediatric populations in the United States over time, and the continued growth of VFR travel, a universal pediatric vaccine recommendation for hepatitis A immunization can help to prevent hepatitis A transmission in this country in the future.

Emigration and Immigration↗

PubMed2005

Research on mental disorders and their care in immigrant populations: a review of publications from Germany, Italy and the UK.

OBJECTIVE: The review aims to identify the extent and nature of research on mental disorders and their care in immigrant populations in three major European countries with high levels of immigration, i.e. Germany, Italy, United Kingdom (UK). METHOD: Peer-reviewed publications on the subject from the three countries between 1996 and 2004 were analyzed. The research questions addressed, the methods used, and the results obtained were assessed. RESULTS: Thirteen papers reporting empirical studies were found from Germany, four from Italy and 95 from the UK. Studies addressed a range of research questions and most frequently assessed rates of service utilization in different immigrant groups. The most consistent finding is a higher rate of hospital admissions for Afro-Caribbean patients in the UK. Many studies had serious methodological shortcomings with low sample sizes and unspecified inclusion criteria. DISCUSSION: Despite large scale immigration in each of the three studied countries, the numbers of relevant research publications vary greatly with a relatively high level of empirical research in the UK. Possible reasons for this are a generally stronger culture of mental health service research and a higher number of researchers who are themselves from immigrant backgrounds in the UK. CONCLUSION: Overall the evidence base to guide the development of mental health services for immigrant populations appears limited. Future research requires appropriate funding, should be of sufficient methodological quality and may benefit from collaboration across Europe.

Biomedical Research↗

PubMed2006

Abortion rate and contraceptive practices in immigrant and Swedish adolescents.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To analyze if immigrant girls request early pregnancy termination more frequently than ethnic Swedish girls and, if so, study possible explanations, including contraceptive practices and attitudes. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: All women under 19 years of age who attended a large abortion clinic during one year were interviewed. Out of 126 adolescents, 36% were born outside Sweden. The immigrant girls (37 born abroad and 23 with at least one parent born abroad) were compared to 66 ethnic Swedish girls regarding contraceptive habits, reasons for abortion and social factors. RESULTS: The proportion of adolescents born abroad was larger than expected: 38 (29%) were born outside Sweden, compared to 18% in corresponding areas of Stockholm. The ethnic Swedish girls had fewer previous pregnancies than first and second generation immigrants and had more experience of contraceptive counselling. The most common reason for abortion in both groups was the wish to finish education. Ethnical Swedish girls claimed young age as reason for abortion more often than immigrants; economic reasons and reasons related to partner relationship were also common. CONCLUSION: First generation immigrant girls are over-represented among adolescents who seek termination of pregnancy. This can be explained by the fact that the immigrant girls had less experience of contraceptive use and contraceptive counselling than ethnical Swedish girls.

Abortion, Induced↗

PubMed2006

The relationship between age of menarche and mental distress in Norwegian adolescent girls and girls from different immigrant groups in Norway: results from an urban city cross-sectional survey.

Lower age of menarche has been associated with increased mental distress among adolescent girls. The association might be mediated via body image, as girls with early menarche tend to have higher weight than those with late onset menarche. Many of the existing studies of menarche and mental distress are based on samples of white, western girls. The aim of the study was to analyze the association between age of menarche and mental distress among Norwegian girls and girls from different immigrant groups, and to study the effect of body mass index (BMI) and the difference between current and desired weight, on the relationship between age of menarche and mental distress. The study was a cross-sectional population-based self-report survey of all 10th grade pupils in Oslo for two consecutive years. A total of 3694 girls (91%) participated, one quarter of which were first or second generation immigrants. The Hopkins Symptom Checklist-10 was used to measure mental distress. An inverse, linear association between age of menarche and mental distress was found for both Norwegian girls and girls from all the immigrant groups. Regardless of immigrant status, girls with early onset menarche had higher BMI and higher difference in current and desired weight than those with late onset menarche. In linear regression, the difference in current and desired weight was more strongly associated with mental distress both among the Norwegian girls and girls from immigrant groups than age of menarche and BMI when controlling for social and behavioral factors. Early age of menarche might serve as a predictor for psychopathology in Norwegians girls as well as in girls from different immigrant groups. The association between age of menarche and mental distress might be mediated via differences in current and desired weight.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

The sexual behavior of married Mexican immigrant men in North Carolina.

In the southern United States, North Carolina has attracted an unprecedented influx of Hispanic immigrants in the 1990s. Detailed data on the sexual behavior of these recent immigrants are lacking. This exploratory study used two methods, a survey and qualitative interviews. For both methods, participants were recruited using convenience sampling. All study participants were first-generation Mexican immigrants who had lived in North Carolina for at least six consecutive months. The survey, administered face-to-face, explored the sexual attitudes and behavior of 43 married Mexican men living in North Carolina. The qualitative interviews, conducted with men (n = 20) and women (n = 19), explored immigrants' perceptions of extramarital sex and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The study's results suggest that the sexual behavior of 'unaccompanied' married Mexican immigrant men, living alone in North Carolina, differs, at least in degree if not in kind, from that of 'accompanied' married men, residing in the state with their wives. Unaccompanied men who participated in the survey reported more lifetime sexual partners, more partners in the previous year, more extramarital partners and more contact with prostitutes than accompanied survey respondents. The qualitative interviews suggest that unaccompanied men's peculiar status as 'single' men in North Carolina may provide them with both motive and opportunity to have extramarital sexual relationships and that few married Mexican men and women perceive STDs as relevant to their lives. Overall, the study supports the need for male- and couple-focused STD prevention interventions for Hispanic immigrants.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Increased risk of psychotic disorder among immigrants in Malmö: a 3-year first-contact study.

BACKGROUND: Previous findings of increased rates of psychotic disorders among immigrants to Sweden are primarily based on hospital samples. The aim of the current study was to compare the risks of first contact for psychotic and schizophrenic disorders among first- and second-generation immigrants to the risks in native 'Swedes'. METHOD: During a 3-year period, diagnostic information was collected on all patients with a possible psychotic disorder who made a first-in-lifetime contact with both in-patient and out-patient psychiatric services in Malmö. RESULTS: First-generation immigrants to Sweden had an increased risk of developing psychotic and schizophrenic disorders compared to Swedes (age- and gender-adjusted relative risk, RR 2.9, 95 % CI 2.0-4.0 and RR 4.0, 95 % CI 1.8-8.6 respectively). Risks for these disorders were not significantly increased in second-generation immigrants. The highest risks of developing psychotic disorder compared to Swedes were found in first-generation immigrants with 'black' (versus 'neither black nor white', or 'white') skin colour (RR 5.8, 95 % CI 2.8-13.4) and birthplace in a developing (versus developed) country (RR 3.3, 95 % CI 2.3-4.8). CONCLUSION: The increased risks of psychosis obtained especially in immigrant groups having relatively disadvantaged status in Sweden suggest that psychosocial factors may contribute to the development of psychotic disorders.

Adolescent↗