141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

287472
Nativity and allostatic load among non-hispanic blacks

Wednesday, November 6, 2013 : 9:14 AM - 9:32 AM

Laurén Doamekpor, MPH , Department of Family Science, School of Public Health University of Maryland – College Park, College Park, MD
Gniesha Dinwiddie, PhD , African American Studies Department, University of Maryland College Park, College Park, MD
Objective: Black immigrants, unlike immigrants of other race/ethnic groups, encounter different post-migration experiences that impact health. Generally, immigrants have a health advantage over the U.S.-born. However, whether this applies to Black immigrants is understudied. Extant literature documents that immigrants' exposure to adverse conditions while adapting to a new socio-cultural environment creates over exposure to stress, which leads to dysregulation of physiological systems that protect individuals from disease. Continued unresolved stress can take its toll on the body by increasing allostatic load (AL) leading to a health decline over time. This study examines whether nativity-based differences in AL exist among Black individuals.

Methods: Pooled data from the 2001-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is used to compare AL scores for U.S.-born (N=2,745) and foreign-born Black (N=152) adults. Multinomial logistic regression techniques assessed the association between high and low AL scores with sex, age, health behaviors and socioeconomic status.

Results: Foreign-born Blacks [OR= 0.64, CI= (0.484, 0.843)] were less likely to have a high AL score compared to U.S.-born Blacks. As age increased, the likelihood of having a high AL score increased. Widowed, divorced, or separated individuals were more likely to have a high AL score compared to those who were married or living with a partner [OR=1.318, CI= (1.1, 1.579)].

Conclusions: A health advantage in AL was observed among Black individuals. This study highlights the need for further research. A deeper understanding of the mechanisms driving this health differential is needed in order to create programs targeting this population.

Learning Areas:
Epidemiology
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Describe the relationship between nativity and allostatic load among Non-Hispanic Black individuals.

Keywords: Epidemiology, Health Disparities

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: As a PhD candidate, I am one of the authors of this research paper. I have a MPH, and my dissertation is focused on examining the health of Black immigrants.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.