142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Does formal community organization buffer the relationship between neighborhood disadvantage and distress among Latinos?: Examining the role of acculturation

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Jaime Booth, MSW , Southwest Interdisciplinary Research Center, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ
In the general population, a consistent relationship has been found between living in a disadvantaged neighborhood and distress (Mair, et al., 2009). This is however not the case for Latinos.  Like other health outcomes, the Latino health paradox is observed in rates of distress, with less acculturated individuals exhibiting less distress despite living in high poverty neighborhoods (Escobar, Nervi & Gara, 2000).  Lower rates of distress have been attributed to higher rates of neighborhood support and control in Latino ethnic enclaves (Rios et al., 2012; Vega et al., 2011).  These findings suggest that differing neighborhood structures (community centers, block watches, churches and block homes) may account for these dynamics however this has not been empirically tested.

To address this gap data from the Chicago Adult Community Health Study (N=801) was used.  A descriptive analysis was conducted using GIS mapping.  SEM was then employed to test the mediating effect of formal organizations on the relationship between disadvantage and distress.  Finally a multi-group analysis was conducted to test the moderating effect of acculturation status.

 The overall model demonstrated good model fit (X2= 888.88(413), RMSEA= .04, CFI = .95 TLI= .94).  The results indicated that the density of community centers (b(SE)= -.50(.21), p<.05) and block watches (b(SE)= -.17(.08), p<.05) mediated the relationship between disadvantage and distress and that the direct and indirect pathways were moderated by acculturation status. The findings indicated that the density of community centers and block watches buffer the relationship between neighborhood disadvantage and distress but only for bi-cultural Latinos.

Learning Areas:

Diversity and culture
Public health or related public policy
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Demonstrate the potential protective effect of community organizations in populations with elevated risk of experiencing distress as a result of chronic stressors present in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Compare the buffering effect of community organization in Latino populations with differing levels of acculturation.

Keyword(s): Latinos, Community Development

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: This research is part of my doctoral dissertation. I have completed the investigation while working at the Southwest Interdisciplinary Research Center, a NIH funded center of excellence, and under the direction of nationally renowned scholars in the field of health disparities research. I will be defending this dissertation in April 2014 and will be joining the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh as an assistant professor of social work in the Fall of 2014.
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.

Back to: 5011.0: The impact of acculturation, acculturative stress and language in Latino health