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Revisiting the Hispanic Health Paradox: The Relative Contributions of Nativity, Country of Origin, and Race/Ethnicity to Childhood Asthma

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Abstract

This study examined the relationship between race and Hispanic ethnicity, maternal and child nativity, country of origin and asthma among 2,558 non-Hispanic white and Hispanic children across 65 Los Angeles neighborhoods. A series of two-level multilevel models were estimated to examine the independent effects of race, ethnicity, and country of origin on childhood asthma. Lifetime asthma prevalence was reported among 9 % of children, with no significant differences between Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites overall. However, in fully adjusted models, Hispanic children of non-Mexican origin reported higher odds of asthma compared to non-Hispanic white children. A protective nativity effect was also observed among children of foreign born mothers compared to US born mothers. Our study provides evidence in support of the heterogeneity of childhood asthma by Hispanic ethnicity and maternal nativity. These findings suggest moving beyond solely considering racial/ethnic classifications which could mask subgroups at increased risk of childhood asthma.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a National Institutes of Health Career Development Award NHLBI K25 HL081275 and a US Department of Health and Human Services (HRSA) Public Health Traineeship Grant. We thank RAND Corporation for the use of data from the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Population Health, North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, 175 Community Drive, Room 233, Great Neck, NY, 11021, USA

    Marlene Camacho-Rivera

  2. Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    Ichiro Kawachi & S. V. Subramanian

  3. Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

    Gary G. Bennett

Authors
  1. Marlene Camacho-Rivera
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  2. Ichiro Kawachi
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  3. Gary G. Bennett
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  4. S. V. Subramanian
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Correspondence to Marlene Camacho-Rivera.

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Camacho-Rivera, M., Kawachi, I., Bennett, G.G. et al. Revisiting the Hispanic Health Paradox: The Relative Contributions of Nativity, Country of Origin, and Race/Ethnicity to Childhood Asthma. J Immigrant Minority Health 17, 826–833 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-013-9974-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-013-9974-6

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