Dimensions of acculturation and biological dysregulation among Latina/os: the role of ethnic background, gender, and immigrant generation.

Objective: Research examining how different dimensions of acculturative beliefs and behaviors influence the risk of biological dysregulation among Latina/os is limited. This study examined associations between three types of acculturation and allostatic load (i.e. a multisystem index of biological dysregulation) across gender and Latina/o ethnic groups. Multiplicative models were also included in order to determine whether immigrant generation moderates acculturation-allostatic load relationships.Design: Data were drawn from the Hispanic Community Health Study/ Study of Latina/os. The sample consisted of 11,841 Latina/os from five ethnic groups: Cuban, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Mexican, and South/Central American. The measure for allostatic load was derived from 15 biomarker and anthropometric measures that were designed to capture cardiometabolic risk, glucose metabolism, cardiopulmonary function, inflammation, and organ function. Acculturation measures, immigrant generation, gender, ethnic background, and other covariates were derived from self-reports. Survey corrected ordinary least squares regressions were used to assess relationships between different dimensions of acculturation and allostatic load.Results: Results demonstrate dimensions of acculturation play a significant role in the risk of biological dysregulation for Latina/os with divergent results across gender and ethnic background. Estimates from the multiplicative models show immigrant generation moderates acculturation-allostatic load relationships, and relationships are dependent on gender and ethnic background.Conclusion: The study contributes to the understanding of how different dimensions of acculturation, as well as other important structural determinants of health, influence the risk of biological dysregulation among Latina/os. Finding from this study can inform targeted strategies designed to reduce the physiological consequences of chronic stress among Latina/os.

Understanding How Race, Ethnicity, and Gender Shape Mask-Wearing Adherence During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from the COVID Impact Survey.

BACKGROUND: Mask wearing has been shown to be an effective strategy for slowing the spread of COVID-19. While early studies have uncovered some evidence of racial and ethnic differences in mask-wearing behavior, critical gaps remain. We begin to address these gaps by (1) more comprehensively investigating the role of race and ethnicity on mask wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic and (2) examining whether gender intersects with race and ethnicity to differently influence mask-wearing patterns. METHODS: Data were drawn from the COVID-19 Impact Survey, a cross-sectional, nationally representative survey of adults living in the U.S. Data were pooled from three time points that ranged from late April 2020 to early June 2020. The final analytic sample consisted of 4688 non-institutionalized adults living in the U.S. A series of logistic regression models with robust standard errors were used to estimate differences in mask-wearing patterns. RESULTS: Compared with White respondents, results revealed Black, Latina/o, and Asian respondents were more likely to report wearing a mask in response to the coronavirus. Moreover, results show White men were least likely to wear a mask from late April 2020 to early June 2020. CONCLUSION: Overall, findings demonstrate mask-wearing patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic are differently shaped by racial and ethnic background and gender. Findings from this study can inform targeted strategies designed to increase mask-wearing adherence among U.S. adults.

Poverty, Material Hardship, and Telomere Length Among Latina/o Children.

BACKGROUND: Despite increased attention on the links between poverty and the health and wellbeing of youth, few have attempted to understand the physiological consequences associated with different forms of economic disadvantage among Latina/o children. The present study begins to address this gap by (1) examining whether different forms of economic disadvantage were related to telomere length for Latina/o children and (2) determining whether parents' nativity shapes economic disadvantage-telomere length relationships. METHODS: Data were drawn from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a longitudinal, stratified multistage probability sample of couples and children in 20 large US cities. The sample consisted of 417 Latina/o children and their parents that were followed from birth to age 9. Ordinary least squares regressions were used to examine relationships between economic disadvantage and telomere length. RESULTS: Findings revealed that poverty status was not significantly related to telomere length, whereas some forms of material hardship were shown to play a role in the risk of premature cellular aging. More specifically, medical hardship and difficulty paying bills were associated with shorter telomere length at age 9. Results also provide minimal evidence economic disadvantage-telomere length patterns varied by parents' nativity. Only medical hardship was related to shorter telomere length at age 9 for children with at least one foreign-born parent. CONCLUSION: Overall, results indicate that the risk of premature cellular aging depends on the measure of economic disadvantage under investigation. Findings from this study can inform targeted strategies designed to reduce the deleterious consequences associated with economic deprivation.

Trajectories of COVID-19 vaccine intentions among U.S. adults: The role of race and ethnicity.

Research examining whether intentions to get a COVID-19 vaccine change over time is scarce. Moreover, the deep and pervasive history of medical racism in the U.S. has created a context in which some racial and ethnic groups exhibit greater levels of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy; yet few researchers have attempted to determine whether these patterns persist with time. The purpose of this study was twofold: (a.) assess the role of time in COVID-19 vaccine intentions from April 2020 to January 2021, and (b.) examine whether race and ethnicity shape COVID-19 vaccine intention trajectories. Data were drawn from 9 waves of the Understanding America Study (n = 5023), a national probability panel study of U.S. adults. Multilevel logistic regression models were used to assess overall COVID-19 vaccine intention trajectories and trajectories by race and ethnicity. Results demonstrate intentions to get a COVID-19 vaccine significantly decreased from April 2020 to November 2020, but by January 2021, intentions to get a COVID-19 vaccine slightly increased. Findings also show trajectories significantly differed by racial and ethnic background. Asian/Pacific Islanders had the highest probability of likely getting a COVID-19 vaccine at baseline, followed by Whites and Latina/os. Black Americans exhibited the lowest probability of likely getting vaccinated, and, in most cases, the gap between Black Americans and other racial groups grew over time. Key findings from this study demonstrate that, among U.S. adults, time and race and ethnicity play significant roles in COVID-19 vaccine intentions. Understanding the role of time and race and racism in shaping COVID-19 vaccine intention trajectories can help government agencies and public health experts tasked with administrating vaccines better understand disparities in vaccine uptake.

Stress and Allostatic Load Among Latina/os: Evidence from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latina/os.

We investigated associations between measures of environmental and psychological stress (i.e., chronic stress and perceived stress) and allostatic load across gender. We also tested whether other important intersectional factors, such as ethnic background and nativity, moderated stress-allostatic load relationships. Data were drawn from the Hispanic Community Health Study/ Study of Latina/os, a representative, multi-ethnic sample of Latina/os living in four urban communities. The final analytic sample consisted of 3848 Latina/os from five ethnic groups: Cuban, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Mexican, and South/ Central American. Findings indicate greater chronic and perceived stress were significantly associated with allostatic load for males but not for females. We also find, in some cases, ethnic background and nativity moderated relationships between types of stress and allostatic load for males. Findings suggest that environmental and psychological stressors can potentially shape health profiles of Latino males, with important differences across ethnic background and nativity.

Timing of parental incarceration and allostatic load: a developmental life course approach.

PURPOSE: We examined whether the timing of when a person experienced the loss of a parent to incarceration was significantly associated with allostatic load, a multisystem index of biological dysregulation. METHODS: Data were drawn from waves I and IV of National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, a nationally representative sample of adolescents in 1994. The final analytic sample was restricted to responses with valid responses and valid sampling weights (n = 13,365). Survey-corrected negative binomial regressions were used to assess relationships between timings of parental incarceration and allostatic load. RESULTS: Compared with respondents with no history of parent incarceration, reporting the incarceration of a parent in childhood was associated with higher allostatic load scores, whereas losing a parent to incarceration in adulthood was associated with significantly lower allostatic load scores. CONCLUSIONS: The physiological consequences of parental incarceration are associated with the developmental period in which the incarceration occurred. The risk of biological dysregulation may be greatest among those who experience the loss of a parent to incarceration in childhood.

The School Contextual Effect of Sexual Debut on Sexual Risk-Taking: A Joint Parameter Approach.

BACKGROUND: Previous research has identified individual and school-level characteristics that are associated with sexual risk-taking, but the impact of school-level mechanisms on sexual risk-taking is not well understood. We examine the aggregated effects that early sex at the school level have on risky sexual behaviors. METHODS: We use 3 waves of data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. An individual's first sexual intercourse before age 15 was recorded along with various risky sexual behaviors at debut. Two variables at respondent's later stage of life were also included: having sex in exchange for drugs or money, and contraction of sexually transmitted disease (STD). Longitudinal analysis was conducted using a joint parameter model that tested unobserved school effects on individual behaviors simultaneously. RESULTS: An increase in early sexual initiation at the school level was associated with higher probability of sexual debut, along with increased involvement in sexual risk-taking controlling for student family background. CONCLUSIONS: School behavioral mechanisms are directly related to sexual health behaviors among youth. Our findings have implications for school-based interventions, education programs, and the role of parents.

Gender differences in trajectories of alcohol use from ages 13 to 33 across Latina/o ethnic groups.

BACKGROUND: Research examining alcohol use trajectories among Latina/os is scarce. Further, prior findings on alcohol use by ethnic group and gender is mixed. The purpose of this study was twofold: (a.) to examine developmental trajectories for two types of alcohol (drunkenness and heavy drinking) use across four Latina/o ethnic groups (Cubans, Puerto Ricans, Central/South American, and Mexican Americans) and, (b.) to examine the role of gender and ethnicity in developmental trajectories of drunkenness and heavy drinking among Latina/os. METHODS: Data were drawn from Waves I-IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. The sample consisted of 1670 Latina/os that were followed from adolescence into adulthood. Multi-level logistic regression models were used to estimate drunkenness and heavy drinking trajectories and trajectories by gender. RESULTS: indicate that, for all four ethnic groups examined, the probability of drunkenness and heavy drinking gradually increased in adolescence, peaked in "emerging adulthood", and decreased as they transitioned into adulthood. Findings also show divergent age trajectories by gender, but patterns varied across ethnicity and alcohol use outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Key findings from this study demonstrate that among Latina/os, there are critical developmental periods for reported drunkenness and heavy drinking in the last 12 months, and that ethnicity and gender play substantial roles in the development of hazardous alcohol use over the life course.

Social isolation, drunkenness, and cigarette use among adolescents.

INTRODUCTION: This study compares isolated to sociable youth to investigate the relations between different network types of social isolation and alcohol and cigarette use. METHODS: Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health we developed a network measure that includes various types of social isolation. Types of social isolation were operationalized as socially avoidant, actively isolated, and socially disinterested, with sociable youth as the reference category. Random effects ordinal logit models were fit to estimate the association between different types of social isolation and drunkenness and cigarette use. RESULTS: Different types of social isolation had varying effects on drunkenness and cigarette use. On the one hand, socially disinterested youth were at an increased risk for drunkenness and cigarette use. On the other hand, socially avoidant youth had lower odds of drunkenness and no significant differences in cigarette use when compared to sociable youth. Actively isolated youth showed no differences in drunkenness and cigarette use. CONCLUSIONS: The role played by marginalized social positions in youth substance use is an important yet overlooked problem. This study can contribute to better targeted and more effective health behavior prevention efforts for vulnerable adolescents.