How Age and Life Stage of Relocation Fosters Social Belonging: Comparing Two Groups of Older Migrants in the United States.

OBJECTIVES: The presumed "ossification effect" of the past on older generations remains influential in the scholarship on aging and migration, orienting scholars to highlight the vulnerability of senior migrants in new societies. As a result, the ability of older generations to adapt to receiving societies has been underestimated and largely undifferentiated, and little is known about how age and life stage at arrival matter for how older individuals manage later-life transitions across borders. METHODS: This article compares 2 groups of Han Chinese senior migrants: recent arrivals (who migrated to the United States later in life) and long-term residents (who migrated to the United States during adulthood). We draw on 112 qualitative interviews and 4 years of ethnographic observation in 2 northeastern cities in the United States. RESULTS: We argue that the life stage at arrival, coupled with class (dis)advantages, are central to analyzing the diverse ways older migrants stake claims to their belonging to American society. We offer the concept of "economies of belonging" to delineate the ways recent arrivals and long-term migrants anchor themselves socially and emotionally in the United States. DISCUSSION: Through examining the social relationships and state-provided resources that recent arrivals and long-term migrants use to cultivate social belonging and justify their social membership in American society, our analysis reveals that both groups of older migrants have preconceived American dreams before they emigrate, but their age at arrival offers differential opportunities to fulfill those dreams and influences how a sense of belonging unfolds later in life.

Acculturation and endocrine disrupting chemical-associated personal care product use among US-based foreign-born Chinese women of reproductive age.

BACKGROUND: Personal care products (PCPs) are an important source of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) linked to adverse reproductive health outcomes. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated EDC-associated PCP use and acculturation among Asian women. METHODS: Our study included 227 foreign-born Chinese women ages 18-45 seeking obstetrics-gynecology care at community health centers (Boston, MA). Acculturation was measured by English-language use, length of US residence, and age at US entry. Self-reported use of PCPs (crème rinse/conditioner, shampoo, perfume/cologne, bar soap/body wash, liquid hand soap, moisturizer/lotion, colored cosmetics, sunscreen, and nail polish) in the last 48 h was collected. Latent class analysis was used to identify usage patterns. We also conducted multivariable logistic to determine the cross-sectional associations of acculturation measures and the use of individual PCP types. RESULTS: Those who used more PCP types, overall and by each type, tended to be more acculturated. Women who could speak English had 2.77 (95% CI: 1.10-7.76) times the odds of being high PCP users compared to their non-English speaking counterparts. English-language use was associated with higher odds of using perfume/cologne and nail polish. SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings give insight about EDC-associated PCP use based on acculturation status, which can contribute to changes in immigrant health and health disparities.