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Few studies have looked at the differences in culture, language, and educational attainments among generations of Hmong in the United States since the beginning of their immigration to the United States. This study of 195 Hmong participants examines the effects of generational status on Hmong immigrants across several factors including marriage and family planning practices, cultural identity, and educational attainment. Cultural identity and family practices of immigrants lean toward increased adaptation to American culture with each successive generation; however, educational attainment was lower among second-generation immigrants when compared to their first-generation counterparts. Explanations for lower educational attainment may be due to confounding factors such as time effect. This study informs social work practice by exploring the variations in acculturation trajectories among the Hmong in the United States. (Contains 4 tables.)

Hmong American youth have been in the United States for 40 years, and yet research still suggests a binary portrayal of their experiences—model minorities or struggling delinquents. In this study, we use critical discourse analysis to examine academic literature and the construction of “Hmong American youth.” We examine academic literature discursive practices and power in controlling the discourse on Hmong American youth and shaping practices and policies. Using critical discourse analysis, we call attention to academic literature and its power, and challenge researchers to reconstruct a more complex discourse of Hmong American youth that captures their histories, possibilities, and desires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hmong, who began migration to the United States of America in the latter half of the 1970s, represent a largely unstudied segment of the Asian-American population. Traditional practices such as teenage marriage were widely reported in the early years after migration began, but have been left relatively unexamined more recently. Explicit focus on Hmong women has been largely absent in recent research. This paper examines the relationships between marriage patterns, education and earnings among Hmong women in the United States. Using results from a survey of 186 Hmong women, the results of this study indicate high rates of teenage marriage, as well as associations between early marriage, marital abuse, and both low earnings and lower levels of educational attainment among women married as teenagers compared to Hmong women who waited until adult age to marry. There were signs of encouragement, including higher than anticipated rates of educational attainment among the sample overall. Marital stressors such as spousal abuse remain prevalent, especially among Hmong women who married in their teenage years. Implications of this research are discussed for both practitioners and for future directions in research within the Hmong-American community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As Hmong transition to life in America, efforts are made by Hmong to maintain traditional cultural practices. This article explores the traditional practice of early marriage among Hmong women and their responses to this practice. As Hmong women acculturate to American ways, women may question the role of traditional practices in their identity and everyday lives. This study examines the family socialization and individual processes associated with teenage marriage among Hmong American women. Interviews with 12 Hmong American women who were married in their teens describe their experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

•Summary: An online survey was completed by Hmong women in the United States (n = 186). The survey was distributed via listserves and websites frequently used by Hmong women, and solicited information about marital factors, presence and intensity of depressive symptoms, and socio-demographic circumstances.•Findings: The findings of this article indicate a significant relationship between marital abuse and depression among women married as teenagers when compared to non-abused women who married in adulthood. Excessive worry and feeling like everything takes great effort were the two most frequently reported indicators of depression reported by Hmong women in this sample. Additional marital and socio-demographic factors are explored in their relationship with depressive presentation.•Applications: These findings suggest that mental health practitioners working with Hmong women may need to be particularly attuned to issues of marital stressors related to traditional marriage practices and cultural stressors. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Few studies have looked at the differences in culture, language, and educational attainments among generations of Hmong in the United States since the beginning of their immigration to the United States. This study of 195 Hmong participants examines the effects of generational status on Hmong immigrants across several factors including marriage and family planning practices, cultural identity, and educational attainment. Cultural identity and family practices of immigrants lean toward increased adaptation to American culture with each successive generation; however, educational attainment was lower among second-generation immigrants when compared to their first-generation counterparts. Explanations for lower educational attainment may be due to confounding factors such as time effect. This study informs social work practice by exploring the variations in acculturation trajectories among the Hmong in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Immigrants are at risk of being obese from obesogenic environments and face factors which limit physical activity and healthy eating. While Hmong immigrants acknowledge the importance of healthy eating and physical activity, to our knowledge no studies have looked at health promoting behaviors among Hmong adolescents with and without disabilities., Objective: In this paper, we seek to provide baseline data about physical activity and healthy eating among Hmong high school students with disabilities in Minnesota., Methods: We used data from the 2016 Minnesota Student Survey. The study included responses from 1,824 Hmong high school students. We compared physical activity and healthy eating of Hmong high school students by disability status., Results: Approximately 13% of Hmong had a disability (n = 239). A greater percentage of Hmong high school students with disabilities reported zero days of 60 min of physical activity (20.5% vs 14.8%, p < 0.10) and zero days participation in sports teams outside of school (69.0% vs. 64.3%, p < 0.10). Compared to Hmong students without disabilities, a significantly lower percentage of Hmong students with disabilities reported not receiving free/reduced lunch (66.5% vs 73.1%, p < 0.05) and significantly more likely to skip meals because their family did not have enough money (14.2% vs 9.7%, p < 0.05)., Conclusion: Adolescent Hmong with disabilities encounter both cultural and disability specific factors which could contribute to poorer health promoting behaviors. This study shines light on the need for social policy that promotes disability inclusive, culturally specific health promotion information and advocacy for immigrant youth with disabilities and their families in schools and communities., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Ethnic minorities are frequently considered as one homogeneous group in research, and this trend is particularly true for Asian Americans. This article seeks to uncover the intragroup differences in cancer screening behavior among subgroups of Asian American women by disaggregating them into six subgroups. The subgroups were compared with non-Latina white women to examine differences in breast and cancer screening rates and relevant factors associated with receiving these screenings., Methods: Three-year merged data from the 2001, 2003, and 2005 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) were used to investigate the subgroup differences. Samples for the current study were restricted to non-Latina white and Asian American women whose age was ≥ 18 years (n = 58,000) for cervical cancer screening and ≥ 40 years (n = 43,518) for breast cancer screening at the time of the interview., Results: Results showed marked differences in cancer screening rates among Asian American subgroups and between cancer types. Cervical cancer screening rates were noticeably higher than breast cancer screening rates in all groups. The Korean group consistently showed the lowest rates of both cancer screenings. Japanese ranked the highest (79.5%) in breast cancer screening but the second lowest (79.7%) in cervical cancer screening. Enabling factors, such as having private health insurance and a usual source of care, were found to be the strongest predictors of receiving both breast and cervical cancer screening. Screenings for both types of cancer increased if a woman was married or was born in the United States., Conclusions: The findings of this study illustrate the heterogeneity that exists among Asian American subgroups in their cancer screening behaviors. Further development of culturally relevant and ethnic-specific cancer prevention strategies and policies that address the subgroup differences within the larger racial/ethnic population are needed. Public health outreach and cancer education should be prioritized to the Asian American women who are more recent arrivals in the United States and have minimal access to healthcare.