Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health最新文献

Immigrant caregivers and their children encounter manifold barriers to mental health service use with unique challenges in the U.S.-Mexico border region. This study examined predisposing, enabling and need factors associated with mental health service use by immigrant caregivers and their children. A cross-sectional survey of 240 immigrant caregivers with children living in New Mexico was conducted. Three domains were examined for their associations with mental health service utilization among caregivers and children. Domains included predisposing (caregiver age, household composition, gender, education, religiosity, duration of US residency, adverse childhood experiences, English proficiency), enabling (caregiver resilience, employment, income, insurance status, health/social service use, social safety net use, resource navigation, help-seeking attitudes), and need (depression symptoms, immigration stress, housing insecurity) factors. Multiple logistic regression models were constructed for each domain and significant variables at a p < 0.05 level were included in final models. In the final model, caregiver mental health service utilization was positively associated with help-seeking attitudes and depression symptoms. For children, mental health service utilization was positively associated with health/social service use. This study identifies factors that may impact the use of mental health services by immigrant families living along the US-Mexico border. Results highlight the importance of culturally informed mental health outreach and integrating mental health services within coordinated and supportive health, social, and safety net services.

Primary health care (PHC) in Thailand's border regions remains challenged by the needs of mobile and marginalized populations, despite the country's progressive Universal Health Coverage (UHC). This qualitative study explores the dynamics of cross-border PHC systems along Thailand's borders with Myanmar, Lao PDR, and Cambodia through a people-centered lens. We conducted 101 semi-structured interviews with diverse stakeholders across six border provinces. Findings reveal that migrants and refugees face complex barriers, including legal exclusion, geographic isolation, and fear of deportation, leading to reliance on self-medication and delayed care. Health priorities consistently included communicable diseases, maternal and child health, and occupational risks, yet the context varied significantly by border. The Myanmar border was characterized by Non-Government Organizations (NGOs)-dependent, fragmented services for undocumented migrants and refugees. In contrast, the Lao PDR border demonstrated more stable, seasonal migration and smoother bilateral health cooperation. The Cambodia border was defined by labor migration and inconsistent employer-based health arrangements. Multi-stakeholder collaboration-particularly through migrant health volunteers and NGOs-was identified as both feasible and essential for service delivery, but remains ad hoc and donor-dependent. Sustainable solutions require formalizing the roles of community-based actors, creating institutionalized coordination platforms, and developing tailored, context-specific strategies that address the fundamental social determinants of health. Achieving health equity in these borderlands necessitates inclusive policies that bridge the gap between national UHC ambitions and the realities of cross-border mobility.

The unique culture and languages of Indigenous Mexican immigrants to the United States, a substantial portion of the nation's agricultural workforce, has limited participation of this population in tobacco and other health related research. Our established community-academic team [Mixteco Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP) and UCLA] developed and conducted a community survey (n = 200) from February - October 2024, in Spanish (n = 145), English (n = 10) or Mixteco (n = 45), aimed to understand tobacco use and knowledge among adults in this population. Participants (mean age 26 years; 71% married; 48% female; 43% ≤ elementary education) reported considerable tobacco use and second-hand exposure. Results illustrate gaps in knowledge regarding tobacco's health harms and limited experience with tobacco prevention or control programming. Our findings suggest that prevention programs may provide greatest benefits for recent immigrants who rely exclusively on their native Indigenous language, and that cessation resources may be most needed by community members who have been in the US longer, have some Spanish proficiency and greater exposure to industry marketing. This work adds to the limited literature regarding this marginalized population's health needs and will serve as a guide for our ongoing community-academic efforts to develop, implement, evaluate and disseminate culturally and linguistically tailored tobacco prevention and control programming for the Indigenous Mexican agricultural worker community in California and beyond.

Culturally sensitive palliative care for patients with a migration background (PwM) remains a critical but underexplored field, especially in the German healthcare context. Our study employs Dave Gray's empathy map to capture healthcare providers' perspectives on the challenges, needs, and experiences of PwM in hospice and palliative care. We investigated palliative care challenges through open-ended questions in an online survey conducted across various hospice and palliative care settings. Based on 332 completed responses, our analysis revealed significant barriers to delivering culturally sensitive care. Using qualitative content analysis, we applied an empathy map to identify categories. Findings showed that language barriers and cultural insensitivity notably hindered communication, access, and trust-building. PwM often relied on family networks, which caused delayed care-seeking and logistical difficulties. Despite these challenges, PwM strived for dignity, trust, and care aligned with their cultural background. Our study highlights the importance of empathy-based approaches in hospice and palliative care and the effectiveness of the empathy map as an instrument for identifying challenges and gaps. By addressing the specific needs of PwM, the findings contribute meaningful insights for healthcare providers, policymakers, and researchers.

Over 5 million South Asians (SAs) live in the United States, and it is one of the fastest-growing populations. SAs, have high rates of cardiovascular risk factors, and are likely to experience unique challenges as they age. The South Asian Healthy Aging Research project assesses attitudes toward aging and dementia in the SA community. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in 2022-24 with participants ≥ 18 years old who self-identified as South Asians. Participants were recruited through community outreach efforts in Greater Atlanta to assess their perception of aging and dementia, stress, discrimination, and health literacy. 191 participants completed the surveys, with an average age of 43.9 (SD: 13.1) years and 50.5% were female. Approximately 80% were first-generation immigrants, and 97% had high school or above level education. Despite high education levels, language barriers were a concern, with 24% feeling misunderstood due to their language and 42.9% preferring healthcare materials in their native language. High levels of stress were reported with 25% experiencing workplace discrimination. More than 64% were aware of someone living with dementia but had misconceptions regarding the condition, with 66% believing memory loss is inevitable with age and 30.2% having stigma associated with dementia. Findings demonstrate a lack of awareness of risk factors of dementia and high levels of chronic stress within this SA cohort. The findings highlight the necessity for culturally tailored outreach and educational programs to improve awareness of healthy aging and brain health in this high-risk population.

Globalization has contributed to a significant rise in intercontinental migration from Africa, a trend expected to continue given the ongoing political and economic challenges in many African countries and the perceived opportunities in higher-income Western nations. These migration patterns threaten the preservation of valuable cultural practices and intergenerational food knowledge due to limited resources and supports for African families in host countries. While a considerable body of research exists on immigrant health and dietary acculturation broadly, there remains a notable gap in literature focusing specifically on the experiences of Sub-Saharan African immigrants in higher-income countries. This scoping review therefore aims to: (1) examine existing literature on the nutritional health and social wellbeing of Africans immigrants in higher-income countries; (2) explore the relationships between dietary behaviours, social norms, cultural practices and acculturation; and (3) identify priorities for future research, policy and interventions. Three online databases (PubMed, Scopus and PsycINFO) were utilized to identify relevant studies, yielding in 343 articles. These articles were uploaded into Covidence for screening, resulting in 44 studies included in the final extraction and analysis. Four key themes emerged, highlighting the nutritional, cultural, and social challenges that affect Sub-Saharan African immigrants' integration into new food environments. These interrelated challenges can hinder African immigrants' efforts to maintain cultural food practices and contribute to difficulties in establishing a sense of belonging in their host countries. Findings highlighted the need for further research on the lived experiences of Sub-Saharan African immigrants with an emphasis on culturally informed strategies to support their health, dietary wellbeing, and social inclusion.