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PubMed2005

Completion of screening for latent tuberculosis infection among immigrants.

The objective of our study was to evaluate the sociodemographic factors associated with completion of screening for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) among undocumented immigrants in Brescia, Italy. Screening for LTBI was offered to 649 immigrants; 213 (33%) immigrants completed the first step of screening; only 44% (55/124) of individuals with a positive tuberculin skin test result started treatment for LTBI. The univariate analysis showed that being unmarried, of Senegalese nationality and being interviewed by a health-care worker with the same native language as the immigrant were significantly associated with completion of screening for LTBI. In the multiple logistic regression, being interviewed in the native language of the health-care worker (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.3-4.8, P = 0.004) and being of Senegalese origin (OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.4-3.6, P = 0.0005) were independently associated with adherence to LTBI screening. Our results suggest that knowledge of the sociodemographic characteristics of immigrants, and the participation of health-care workers of the same cultural origin as the immigrant during the visits, can be an important tool to improve completion of screening for LTBI.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Health in relation to unemployment and sick leave among immigrants in Sweden from a gender perspective.

The purpose of this study was to analyze health in relation to unemployment and sick leave among immigrants from a gender perspective. Questionnaire, observations, and group discussions were used for data collection. The study group consisted of 60 unemployed persons with immigrant or refugee background, 30 women and 30 men. Slightly more than half of the participants considered their health to be poor and experienced physical and/or mental disorders. The female participants in comparison to male participants experienced poorer health. The results show that there is a reciprocal influence between health, work, and migration. Immigration may cause poor health, which as a selection effect leads to unemployment and/or sick leave. Immigration may also bring about an inferior position in the labor market, which leads to poor health due to exposure effects. The influence on health is more marked for immigrant women than for immigrant men.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1990

Psychological distress among Mexican-American and Mexican women as related to status on the new immigration law.

Psychological distress in relation to the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act was examined among 90 Mexican-American and Mexican women divided into three groups (n = 30 each): undocumented immigrants who did not qualify for amnesty, undocumented immigrants who qualified for amnesty, and legal residents of the United States of Mexican descent. Results indicate that the undocumented immigrants who did not qualify for amnesty obtained significantly higher scores on hostility. Contrary to prediction, undocumented immigrants who qualified for amnesty obtained lower scores in anxiety (a statistical trend) than did the other two groups. No differences in global psychological distress were found between the undocumented immigrants and the legal residents.

Acculturation↗

PubMed1986

Comparisons of second-generation holocaust survivors, immigrants, and nonimmigrants on measures of mental health.

To determine whether a "children-of-holocaust-survivors syndrome" could more parsimoniously be explained as an "immigration effect," we performed a comparative study on a sample of 25 children of holocaust survivors, 25 children of immigrants, and 25 children of American-born parents. Subjects were matched on age and educational level and were assessed with four measures of mental health. Contrary to the findings of some researchers whose data supported such a syndrome, our data indicate no significant differences between children of holocaust survivors and the children of other immigrants. These data are suggestive of an immigration effect that is common to the children of immigrants and not limited to the children of holocaust survivors, rather than a survivors syndrome. The children of American-born parents showed greater alienation, less religiosity, and a tendency toward feelings of less guilt than the other two groups. Our data underscore the need to control immigrant status in multiple samples and studies before definitive conclusions can be drawn in this area.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Injury risk among children of low-income U.S.-born and immigrant mothers.

The number of immigrants in the United States is at an all time high, yet psychologists have largely ignored the domain of immigrant health. This article considers 1 aspect of immigrant health, risk for pediatric injury. A sample of over 5,000 5-year-old children from impoverished families was studied; approximately 13% had immigrant mothers. Children of immigrants had a significantly lower rate of injury in the prior year. This was particularly true of non-White children of immigrants. Three possible mediators for this finding--assistance with parenting, parenting style, and health care accessibility--were considered, but none explained the difference. The need for further research on the topic and implications of results for injury prevention are discussed.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗

PubMed2001

Holding on and letting go: identity and acculturation among Chinese immigrants.

This study addresses the general question of whether ethnic identity and general acculturation would prove unique discriminators of quality of life for Chinese immigrants. Eighty-three Chinese immigrants served as participants. Survey data were collected regarding acculturation, Asian identity, and quality of life; observers provided ratings of certain home environment characteristics; and participants responded to open-ended interview questions about their immigration experiences that allowed for qualitative data analysis on perspectives of culture. Significant analysis of covariance and post hoc comparison results revealed meaningful main effects and interactions between acculturation and Asian identity in explaining the immigrants' quality of life and ecocultural aspects of their home environments. Interview responses illuminated important distinctions between groups distinguished by level of acculturation and ethnic identity. Findings are discussed in terms of methodological and conceptual issues in studying acculturation and ethnic identity in immigration experiences and practical implications for immigrants and those working with them.

Acculturation↗

PubMed2000

Differences in body fat and central adiposity between Swedes and European immigrants: the Malmö Diet and Cancer Study.

OBJECTIVE: Comparative data on ecological differences in body fatness and fat distribution within Europe are sparse. Migration studies may provide information on the impact of environmental factors on body size in different populations. The objective was to investigate differences in adiposity between European immigrants and native Swedes, specifically to examine gender differences and the effect of time since immigration, and to compare two selected immigrant groups with their native countrymen. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: A cross-sectional analysis of 27,808 adults aged 45 to 73 years participating in the Malmö Diet and Cancer prospective cohort study in Sweden was performed. Percentage body fat (impedance analysis) and waist-hip ratio (WHR) were compared between Swedish-born and foreign-born participants. RESULTS: Obesity was 40% more prevalent in non-Swedish Europeans compared with Swedes. Controlling for age, height, smoking, physical activity, and occupation, it was found that women born in the former Yugoslavia, southern Europe, Hungary, and Finland had a significantly higher percentage of body fat, and those from Hungary, Poland, and Germany had more centralized adiposity compared with Swedish women. Men born in the former Yugoslavia, Hungary, and Denmark had a significantly higher mean percentage of body fat compared with Swedish-born men, whereas Yugoslavian, Finnish, and German men differed significantly in mean WHR. Length of residence in Sweden was inversely associated with central adiposity in immigrants. A comparison between German and Danish immigrants, their respective native populations, and Swedes indicated an intermediate positioning of German immigrants with regard to body mass index and WHR. DISCUSSION: Differences in general and central adiposity by country of origin appear to remain after migration. Central adiposity seems to be more influenced than fatness per se by time of residency in Sweden.

Adipose Tissue↗

PubMed2002

Time travel with Oliver Twist--towards an explanation foa a paradoxically low mortality among recent immigrants.

First-generation immigrant populations in industrialized countries frequently have a lower mortality than the host population, a finding that is unexpected and often dismissed as the result of bias. We propose an alternative explanation for a real, albeit temporal, mortality advantage. We base our argument on two premises: First, that there are differences in the progression of the health transition between the immigrants' countries of origin and industrialized host countries; and, second, that there are differences in the speed at which changes in mortality from various causes occur after migration. Mortality from treatable communicable and maternal conditions, still high in many countries of origin, quickly declines to levels close to those of the host country. Mortality from ischaemic heart disease, the most common cause of death in the host countries, takes years or decades to rise to comparable heights. This is because of the time lag between increases in risk factor levels and an increased risk of coronary death. Hence, first-generation immigrants may initially experience a lower mortality than the host population, a point that has so far been under-appreciated in discussions of immigrant mortality. After adopting a western lifestyle immigrants face an increasing risk of ischaemic heart disease. The increase occurs on top of a persisting risk from conditions associated with childhood deprivation, e.g. stomach cancer and stroke--the unfinished agenda of the health transition that immigrants experience.

Communicable Diseases↗

PubMed2002

Assessing risk for depression among immigrants at two-year follow-up.

This article reports findings from a longitudinal study of what predicts depression 2 years later in a sample of former Soviet immigrants. Study aims were to: (1) investigate change in depression scores and (2) determine the relative contribution of initial depression scores, select demographic and migration characteristics and common demands of immigration to depression at 2-year follow-up. Data were collected at two time points from 468 former Soviet immigrants who had been in the US 5 years or less at the time of the first data collection appointment. Linear regression was used to predict depression at 2-year follow-up. There was little improvement in depression for the sample as a whole over time. Baseline depression, unemployment, novelty, and not having relatives in the local resettlement area were significant predictors of depression at 2-year follow-up. Initial depression in relatively recent immigrants should be treated aggressively and not assumed to be a transient problem. Immigrants should be assisted to find early employment and overcome novel aspects of their new environment. Immigrants without local families will likely need additional support.

Acculturation↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Age differences in stress process of recent immigrants.

In the present study we sought to examine whether age affects the relationship between stress/social support and psychological distress in community residents in Israel who recently emigrated from the former Soviet Union (FSU). A cross-sectional and partly longitudinal design was used to compare emotional distress, stressor, and social support measures in three age groups (18 to 29, 30 to 59, and 60 to 86 years) of adult immigrants (N = 563). Age-related differences in the parameters of interest and their changes over time were examined with analysis of variance (ANOVA), t tests, and multiple regression analyses. We found that older immigrants reported higher levels of health-related stressors, but did not differ on total social support from younger immigrants. Specific predictors of elevated distress differed by age. For the youngest cohort, these included climate changes and anxiety for the future. For the middle-aged immigrants, these included female gender, lower education, unemployment, and longer time in Israel. For the oldest immigrants, predictors of distress included being divorced, separated, or widowed, and perceiving long-time residents of Israel as hostile. Only the middle-aged cohort showed a significant decline in levels of perceived stressors and distress during a 1-year follow-up. Thus, age differences in the stress process of recent immigrants are associated with age-specific perceived adjustment difficulties and demographic characteristics.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

[Comparative study on the dental health of German and immigrant 8- to 10-years olds in the Westphalian Ennepe-Ruhr district].

Aim of this 2-year follow-up study was to assess the dental health status and the caries pattern of first permanent molars in German and immigrant children. 300 German and 69 immigrant children living in the Westphalian Ennepe-Ruhr district were involved in this study. The mean age of the population was 8.0 years at the baseline (1997) and 9.8 years at the second examination. The surface-related caries status according the WHO criteria (1997) was completed by recording non-cavitated lesions and the number of sealants in permanent molars. 13 % (1997) and 26 % (1999) of the 8-year old immigrant children had a caries-free mixed dentition; in Germans were recorded 40 % (1997) and 42 % (1999). The caries prevalence in immigrant children (1997: 0.9 DMFS/1999: 1.5 DMFS) was significantly higher compared to the German children (1997: 0.5 DMFS/1999: 0.8 DMFS). Moreover, a significantly lower utilisation of fissure sealants was registered in immigrant children (1997: 0.4/1999: 0.7) compared to their German classmates (1997: 0.5/1999: 1.4). Immigrant children have to be characterized as high caries-risk population. Risk-orientated public dental health programmes involving sealant application seems to be necessary for socio-economically underprivileged children.

DMF Index↗

PubMed1999

The cost effectiveness of strategies for the treatment of intestinal parasites in immigrants.

BACKGROUND: Currently, more than 600,000 immigrants enter the United States each year from countries where intestinal parasites are endemic. At entry persons with parasitic infections may be asymptomatic, and stool examinations are not a sensitive method of screening for parasitosis. Albendazole is a new, broad-spectrum antiparasitic drug, which was approved recently by the Food and Drug Administration. International trials have shown albendazole to be safe and effective in eradicating many parasites. In the United States there is now disagreement about whether to screen all immigrants for parasites, treat all immigrants presumptively, or do nothing unless they have symptoms. METHODS: We compared the costs and benefits of no preventive intervention (watchful waiting) with those of universal screening or presumptive treatment with 400 mg of albendazole per day for five days. Those at risk were defined as immigrants to the United States from Asia, the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Cost effectiveness was expressed both in terms of the cost of treatment per disability-adjusted life-year (DALY) averted (one DALY is defined as the loss of one year of healthy life to disease) and in terms of the cost per hospitalization averted. RESULTS: As compared with watchful waiting, presumptive treatment of all immigrants at risk for parasitosis would avert at least 870 DALYs, prevent at least 33 deaths and 374 hospitalizations, and save at least $4.2 million per year. As compared with watchful waiting, screening would cost $159,236 per DALY averted. CONCLUSIONS: Presumptive administration of albendazole to all immigrants at risk for parasitosis would save lives and money. Universal screening, with treatment of persons with positive stool examinations, would save lives but is less cost effective than presumptive treatment.

Albendazole↗

PubMed2001

Differentials of Yayoi immigration to Japan as derived from dental metrics.

A major influx of new people, today termed Yayoi, migrated from the East Asian continent into the Japanese archipelago during the Aeneolithic and Protohistoric periods and interbred with the preexisting Jomon people. This study classifies ancient and more modern Japanese into natives or immigrants using discriminant analysis based on dental measurements in order to reconstruct the initial impact of the immigrants and the temporal and geographical differentials of mixture with the preexisting people. The results suggest that the earliest immigrants diffused into central Japan, including the Kanto region. The proportion of immigrant origin in the protohistoric Kofun was less in eastern Japan (72%) as compared to western Japan (81%-90%). The proportion of the immigrants in the Kanto District decreased during the medieval period (63%) and increased again in the early modern Edo and later modern times (75%), which might indicate that the gene flow still was occurring from west to east even in these times. Assuming the estimated proportions of either group reflect the intermixture ratio, the recent Japanese people may be regarded as hybrid of the native and immigrant groups with the following approximate ratios: 1:3 for the Kanto Japanese, 2:3 for the Ryukyu Islanders and 7:3 for the Hokkaido Ainu. These estimations support the "dual structure model" formed by Hanihara (1991) for explaining the population history of Japan.

Anthropology, Physical↗

PubMed1985

Psychiatry and social values: the American Psychiatric Association and immigration restriction, 1880-1930.

From time to time during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the issue of immigration came before the American Psychiatric Association (APA). Members of the APA who publicly discussed the problem of immigration often addressed it in ways that emphasized the importance of hereditary and racial factors in determining mental health. There was considerable feeling among psychiatrists that the immigrant population harbored a large number of "mental defectives" who would taint future generations of Americans if not restricted. Though psychiatrists were not as extreme in their advocacy of immigration restriction as some segments of American society (Grob 1983), many were nonetheless eager to see limits imposed upon the entry of defective and potentially defective immigrants, particularly those from Southern and Eastern Europe. Some practitioners were also deeply concerned about what might happen to the state of American mental health if the racial mixture of the nation's population were substantially altered. On the other hand, some psychiatrists, particularly in the period after 1910, were uncomfortable with views that emphasized hereditary determinism and therefore emphasized the role of environmental factors in the development of mental disease. The purpose of this paper is to examine how social and cultural forces interacted with contemporary scientific ideas to shape the way psychiatrists dealt with the problem of immigration at the turn of the century.

Emigration and Immigration↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Population structure and immigration; a study of the Valserine valley (French Jura) from the 17th century until the present.

The establishment of the genealogies and biographies of inhabitants of selected villages from the Haut-Jura from the 17th century up to the present day has enabled us to demonstrate the major role of immigration on the genetic structure of a population. The evaluation of the effective descendance of native versus immigrant couples shows the imbalance of demographic contribution in favour of the first category. Immigrant couples account for 26% of all couples with at least one offspring in the valley, but account for 7.2% of all couples with an effective descendance. In our opinion, this effective immigration reflects in a much better way the measurement of immigration impact on population genetic parameters, especially the genetic 'opening' of the population due to immigration. This measurement of the effective descendance divides the population into two major groups: a core of stable lineage characterized by 70% of couples with an effective descendance, 'surrounded' by an unstable group from which only 30% of couples have an effective descendence in the population. Furthermore, from any given point in time this difference between the two groups can be observed among their descendants during the following generations. The existence of such a core can be explained by the social history of the valley, and shows that any specific unfavorable genetic fostered by the core can be locked within the population and transmitted throughout generations.

Demography↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The lived experience of Korean immigrant women acculturating into the United States.

Immigration to a different country and a new way of life affects immigrants in many different ways. The changes that occur can influence the way they live and think as well as their personal health. This is especially true with Korean women. However, we still do not have sufficient knowledge about how these women adjust to their new environments. The rate of Korean immigration to the United States has gradually increased since 1965. According to Bouvier and Arnold, the Korean immigrant population is estimated to reach 1.3 million in the year 2000. Korea ranks fourth in number of emigrants, closely following the Philippines, China, and Vietnam. Research reveals that approximately 45% of recent emigrants are women, and this percentage is rapidly increasing. Research concerning this population's lives, their process of acculturation, and, above all, their health and well-being is lacking greatly in quantity and quality. This study demonstrates that the change of women's roles, due to their process of acculturation, cannot be considered separate from their well-being. For this study, 6 Korean women immigrants living in New York were chosen to provide information. The participants volunteered under the condition that their privacy and confidentiality would be protected. A pattern of acculturation experience was revealed in four successive, principal stages: dreams, conflicts, renunciation, and remorse. Hopefully, the following descriptive data will provide knowledge for implementing qualitative care requirements for Korean women immigrants in the United States.

Acculturation↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Health and well-being among elderly persons in Israel: the role of social class and immigration status.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the study was to compare three groups of Israeli elderly that differ in social class and immigration status on measures of health and psycho-social well-being, and assess the factors which explain their self-rated health (SRH). DESIGN: Based on a random sample of Israeli Jewish elderly (70 +), data were collected from 1138 persons during 1994 by structured home interviews. RESULTS: Social class differences among Israeli veterans were mainly found with regard to psycho-social characteristics. They were less conspicuous in health measures. New immigrants, who had a higher level of education than the veterans, but ranked lower on economic status, reported lower levels of health and psycho-social well-being than the veterans. Self-rated health among the immigrants was mainly explained by objective measures of health, and economic status, while in the higher social class of veterans it was also explained by education and psycho-social variables such as self-esteem and social support. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that in contradiction to the convergence hypothesis, social class and immigration status affect health and well-being also in old age. It is suggested that the immigration crisis and factors related to the standard of living and health services in the countries of origin, as well as the lower social and economic status of the immigrants in Israel, outweigh their relative advantage in age and education in influencing their health and well-being. The differences found among the three groups in the factors that explain self-rated health have implications for the use of economic status as a relevant indicator of social class when considering health status among the elderly, and for the interpretation of SRH, as a global measure of health, in different socio-cultural groups.

Aged↗

PubMed1996

The political discourse on quota immigration in Germany.

"Since the late 1980s many professional politicians and social interest associations/organisations have been arguing for the creation of an immigration law which would allow and organise limited and legal new immigration to Germany on the basis of annual or two-three year quotas. This political discourse on immigration policy contains proposals which go beyond pure self-interest and aim to contribute to the stated goals of ¿citizenship in Europe' and ¿open, transnational citizenship'. This position is so far only held by a minority. More dominant are the proponents of quota immigration policy and of political asylum and civil refugee policies, directly or indirectly exclusionist in relation to ¿old' and/or ¿new' immigrants and refugees. This article presents the argument for rethinking and restructuring the notion of quota immigration rather than rejecting it altogether."

Demography↗