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The purpose of this research was to identify mechanisms by which cultural cognitions were linked to parenting cognitions and practices in acculturating Chinese communities in the United States. In particular, parenting cognitions (sense of investment and parental satisfaction) were examined in relation to Chinese-American mothers' cultural cognitions (Chinese and U.S. cultural orientation and both individualism and collectivism) and their role involvement and time involvement with their children. Parenting cognitions were also tested as potential mediators in the relationships between cultural cognitions and parental involvement. Path analyses demonstrated that stronger Chinese cultural orientation was associated with increased parental sense of investment and both time and role involvement. Their U.S. cultural orientation was negatively associated with parental time and role involvement. Collectivism was associated with increased parental investment and parental satisfaction. In addition, parental sense of investment mediated the association between Chinese cultural orientation and parental role involvement. The results demonstrated specific processes by which acculturation was linked to parenting cognitions and practices. The findings have implications for further conceptualizing complex bicultural identifications and their impact within the acculturating Chinese community, as well as understanding more broadly how specific cultural orientations and values manifest in parenting practices across acculturating communities. Highlights: Chinese immigrant mothers with stronger Chinese cultural orientation showed higher level of parental sense of investment and involvement. U.S. cultural orientation was negatively associated with parental involvement. Collectivism was found to be an important predictor of parental sense of investment and satisfaction. Parental role involvement was linked to Chinese cultural orientation through parental sense of investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was designed to establish bone mineral density (BMD) reference data of proximal femur, research the effect of age, height and weight on BMD of proximal femur, and estimate the prevalence of osteoporosis in a Chinese female population. In addition we compared the results with Lebanese and USA white women reference data. Our study was conducted at one center, including 1578 Chinese women, aged 20–79years. We measured the BMD for proximal femur using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and then established a reference database of proximal femur and set up regression equations of age, height and weight for BMD at proximal femur to research the effects of age, height and weight on BMD. After that, we calculated the standardized BMD and compared them with Lebanese and USA white women reference data. The peak BMD occurred in the age range 30–39 years for femoral neck and Ward's triangle, and 40–49 years for trochanter in Chinese women, which were later than in Lebanese and USA white women. The BMD of proximal femur in Chinese women were lower than Lebanese and USA white women in most age ranges. Weight profoundly influenced BMD in all age groups, and age and height mainly effected BMD in older age groups. The standardized prevalence of osteoporosis among Chinese women of 50–79 years old was 9.6% in femoral neck, which was higher than Lebanese but lower than USA white women. The BMD database of proximal femur in Chinese women we established is normative and different from Lebanese and USA white women reference data, which provides more reliable information on the prevalence of osteoporosis in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Asians living in the United States face unique HIV risk. From 2010 to 2017, the number of diagnosed HIV cases increased by almost 40% among Asians, while on average, the US has seen a 11% decrease in new HIV diagnoses (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. HIV and Asians. 2019. Available from: ). Culture-sensitive beliefs, which are often neglected in health communication, might play a role in safe sex practice in this particular population. Method: Utilizing the Integrative Model of Behavioral Prediction as a theoretical framework, this study looks into how acculturation to Chinese home culture contributes to Chinese immigrant women's behavioral intention towards safer sex with a casual partner (N = 125). This relationship is proposed to be mediated by perceived social norms, attitude toward condom use, self-efficacy, and familism. Results: Findings indicate that self-efficacy and favorable attitudes toward condom use were predictive of intent, and that the significant predictive role of home culture on behavioral intent was fully mediated by familism. Conclusions: Future interventions should include strategies for enhancing Asian women's self-efficacy for safe sex practices, cultivating a favorable attitude toward condom use, and emphasizing the home cultural values, specifically familism, that might increase their intent to practice safe sex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The 2009 Institute of Medicine (IOM) gestational weight gain (GWG) guidelines were initially developed for pregnant women in the United States., Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether the IOM guidelines were suitable for pregnant Chinese women., Methods: A retrospective cohort study comprising 20,593 singleton pregnant women was conducted at the Beijing Obstetrics and Gynaecology Hospital (1 January 2018 to 31 December 2019). Applicability was evaluated by comparing the GWG corresponding to the lowest point of the predicted composite risk curve with the 2009 IOM GWG Guidelines. The IOM Guidelines serve as the standard for the GWG categories and the pre-pregnancy body mass index. An exponential function model was used to fit the weight gain during pregnancy and the probability of caesarean section, preterm birth, small for gestational age, and large for gestational age. A quadratic function model was used to fit the combined probability of the above-mentioned adverse pregnancy outcomes. The applicability of the IOM guidelines was evaluated by comparing the weights corresponding to the lowest predicted probability with the GWG range recommended by the IOM guidelines., Results: According to the 2009 IOM GWG Guidelines, 43% of the women achieved adequate weight, almost 32% gained excessive weight, and 25% gained inadequate weight. The GWG range proposed by the IOM included the lowest predicted probability value for underweight women and exceeded the lowest predicted probability for normal weight, overweight, and obese women., Conclusions: The 2009 IOM guidelines were suitable for Chinese women whose pre-pregnancy body mass index was classified as underweight. The guidelines were not suitable for normal, overweight, or obese pre-pregnancy body mass index classifications. Therefore, based on the above evidence, the 2009 IOM guidelines are not suitable for all Chinese women.

“Birth tourism” has rarely been addressed by scholars. The ways that pregnant women are encouraged to leave their homelands and give birth abroad have not been investigated. Birth tourism agencies may seek to persuade women that particular destinations—such as the US—are ideal places for giving birth. An examination of how birth tourism agencies frame birth tourism may offer initial insights into this phenomenon. This study examines 34 agencies’ home pages and their arguments advocating birth tourism for Chinese expectant mothers. Using a thematic approach, we find four reasons offered to pregnant Chinese women that make birth tourism appealing. This perspective helps us to understand birth tourism both as a health-related behavior and a cosmopolitan issue. We use neoliberalism as an analytic framework to examine how birth tourism may enhance inequality in health resource distribution both domestically and internationally. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This phenomenological study explored the classroom leadership experience of six foreign-born instructors (three female instructors from China and three Latina instructors from Argentina, Peru, and Puerto Rico). In-depth interviews provided insight into their classroom leadership, teaching challenges, and teaching satisfaction at a predominantly white university. Participants demonstrated a combination of transactional and transformational leadership styles. Teaching challenges included student resistance, teaching evaluations, and not being a native English speaker. Teaching satisfaction included student learning, student appreciation, and student personal, academic, and professional growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on Chinese American women's cervical cancer screening behaviours is limited and there are few studies that examine factors associated with obtaining regular Pap tests. The purpose of this study was to use the transtheoretical model ( TTM) as a framework to examine correlates of Pap testing and stages of change. Chinese American women ( N = 121) were recruited to complete a cross-sectional, self-report survey. Survey items assessed stages of change, self-efficacy, perceived benefits and barriers, and demographic variables including screening and family history for cervical cancer. Eighty-one per cent of women reported that they had ever had a Pap test. Most participants were in the maintenance stage (55%), with 10% in each action and pre-contemplation, 8% in contemplation, 1% in preparation and 16% in the relapse stage. Women in the action/maintenance stage were more likely to be older, married and have a higher education level. Women in the action/maintenance stage had significantly lower perceived barrier scores compared to women in both the contemplation/preparation and pre-contemplation/relapse stages. Findings partially support the use of TTM for cervical cancer screening among this population and indicate the importance of perceived barriers. Results may inform interventions to increase screening rates among Chinese American women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Research in the area of cultural response pattern on questionnaires in the oncological setting and direct cross-cultural comparisons are lacking. This study examined response pattern in the reporting of depressive symptoms in Chinese and US women with breast cancer. We hypothesized that Chinese women are less likely to endorse positive affect items compared to their US counterparts. Additionally, we explored cultural differences in the association between positive affect and QOL.Methods: Secondary analyses of baseline assessments of two mind-body intervention studies for women with breast cancer undergoing radiotherapy in the USA (N = 62) and China (N = 97) are presented. All participants completed measures of depressive symptoms (CES-D) and cancer-specific QOL (FACT-B). We examined cultural differences on positive and negative affect items on the CES-D.Results: Controlling for demographic factors, ANCOVA revealed a significant cultural difference in positive (F = 7.99, p = 0.005) but not negative affect (p = 0.82) with Chinese women reporting lower positive affect compared to US women (Chinese = 6.97 vs. US = 8.31). There was also a significant cultural difference (F = 3.94, p = 0.03) in the association between positive affect and QOL so that lower positive affect was more strongly associated with worse emotional well-being in Chinese (beta = 0.57, p < 0.0001) than US women (beta = 0.35, p < 0.01).Conclusions: Chinese women reported lower positive affect compared to US women and lower levels of positive affect were more strongly associated with worse QOL. Special attention is needed when examining mental health in different cultures to ascertain effective delivery of clinical services to those in need. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose/Objectives: To explore the perceived benefits and barriers to cervical cancer screening among Chinese American women using stages of the Transtheoretical Model of Change. Design: Cross-sectional design with self-report surveys. Setting: Chinese communities (e.g., churches, supermarkets, restaurants) in Northern California and Northern Nevada. Sample: 121 Chinese women aged 21-65 years living in Northern California and Northern Nevada. Methods: A snowball sampling technique using personal contacts was used. Main Research Variables: Stages of change and perceived benefits and barriers to cervical cancer screening. Findings: Participants in the action/maintenance stage were most likely to believe that cervical cancer was treatable if caught early. Women in the contemplation/preparation stage were more likely to state that they worried about or feared screening, that it was too expensive, and that they would want to use Chinese medicine to cure an illness before trying Western medicine. Women in the precontemplation/relapse stage were most likely to report that they did not know where to get screened and that their partner would not want them to be screened. Conclusions: Perceived benefits and barriers to screening were differentially associated with the stages of change. Results may support culturally sensitive and theory-based programs to improve screening rates among Chinese American women. Implications for Nursing: The results suggest the importance of cultural sensitivity among nursing providers when working with Chinese Americans to provide more relevant, holistic care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From in-depth interviews with Chinese immigrant wives in the United States and the Chinese couples in urban China in 2004, researcher found a surprising result in terms of their interpretations of the impact of the male-breadwinner ideal upon perceived marital stability. Over half of the sampled Chinese immigrant wives in the United States reported that they became stay-at-home mothers after their immigration, and most believed that becoming a stay-at-home mother had stabilized their marriage. The traditionally defined gender role for women was actually not as much condemned by the Chinese immigrant wives as it would be if they were in China. When asked whether or not the Chinese urban wives would like to follow the male-breadwinner ideal, a common response was 'No way!' Among urban Chinese couples, wives as well as husbands strongly believed that the male-breadwinner ideal would destabilize rather than stabilize their marriage. In this paper, researcher has put forth a hypothesis that the existing familial, economic, and cultural conditions in the United States and urban China play a role in shaping the Chinese couples' perceptions of the traditional family model and their decision to either adapt or reject it in association with their perceived marital stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How do Western films speak to issues of gender, difference, history, and cross-cultural relationships? Have messages about gender and race in Hollywood films about Chinese women changed over time? How does historical social reality find its way into the messages conveyed by Hollywood films? This paper intends to address these questions through analysis of women's portrayals in four representative Hollywood films spanning from 1930s to early 2000s. The four films include Daughter of Dragon (1931), The World of Suzie Wong (1960), Year of the Dragon (1985), and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), starring renowned Chinese American actresses of three different generations in Hollywood. By tracking various elements - Oriental dresses, geographies, ideologies, stereotypes across these various generations of films, this paper reveals that Hollywood's portrayal of Eastern women has not changed significantly over time. The paper also explores how historical changes in gender, race, and interracial relationships in American society, find their way into these films by examining the expression of Oriental "otherness" and anxiety about cross-racial relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the images of the U.S. that were published in the Shanghai, China women's magazine "Linglong" during the 1930s and how they depicted a false image of American society. The author explores how these images provided a symbolic meaning for Chinese women who wanted to be modern and cosmopolitan, examines how images of American life impacted the feminine behavior of Chinese women and westernized their views of family, fashion, and relationships, and discusses how the magazine compared Chinese Confucian morality and American depravity.

Objectives High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is a powerful cardiovascular risk factor. Important gender and ethnic differences in plasma HDL levels exist and warrant investigation. Design Cross-sectional survey in two different general populations. Patients 7700 participants of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2002 and 1944 participants of the Hong Kong Cardiovascular Risk Factor Prevalence Study-2 (CRISPS2) 2000–2004. Measurements Plasma HDL levels. Results Plasma HDL levels were higher in women than in men in both populations. In the United States women, it increased with age, whereas in Chinese women, it declined with age and converged with male HDL levels. In the United States, 37·1 ± 1·2% men and 38·9 ± 1·1% women had low HDL levels. In Hong Kong, 34·3 ± 1·6% men and 34·5 ± 1·5% women had low HDL levels. In Americans, the independent predictors of low HDL levels were lower age, being non-Mexican Hispanic, waist circumference, triglycerides and not drinking alcohol in men, and lower age, being Hispanic, waist circumference, triglycerides, current smoking and not drinking alcohol in women. In Hong Kong Chinese, the independent predictors of low HDL levels were body mass index, triglycerides, current smoking and not drinking alcohol in men, and lower age, waist circumference, triglycerides, diabetes and former smoking in women. Conclusions The decline in plasma HDL with age in Chinese women is opposite to that seen in American women. The increased cardiovascular risk in elderly Chinese women requires further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essay is presented in which the author discusses the portrayals of Chinese immigrant women in the stories published in California Magazines in the late nineteenth century. The author notes that the stories emphasize the workings of sentimentality in the U.S. domestic racial context. The author also highlights the ideological connections between domestic and foreign forms of women benevolence in the U.S.

The objective of this research was to evaluate how perceived stressful conditions (PSC) and perceived non-stressful conditions (PNSC) influence eating and dressing behaviors of Chinese females. Chinese female university students (18-30 years) residing in the United States, completed a validated and reliable 45-itemized Chinese Stress Eating and Dressing Survey (CSEDS). The CSEDS included: (i) effort to control making healthy eating choices and dressing, (ii) foods eaten and dress items selected during PSC, (iii) foods eaten and dress items selected during PNSC, and (iv) demographics. Seven comfort food categories and eight appearance categories were used. The CSEDS included multiple choice, yes/no, and Likert scale questions. Statistical analyses were performed using t tests. A total of 129 females completed the CSEDS. Mean body mass index (BMI) calculated from reported heights and weights was 20.86 ± 3.86. From PNSC to PSC, there were significant decreases in all dressing patterns (p < .028), and the majority of the participants reported dressing casually during PSC (78.3%). Overall, there was a decrease in the types of foods eaten during PNSC to PSC, but significance was noted for common foods (e.g., Chinese, Other Asian, Italian, American, and Mexican; p = .033), mixed dishes (e.g., casseroles, soy and vegetable based dishes, meat entrees, and salads; p = .018), and soft foods (e.g., rice, noodles, bread, dumplings, and eggs; p = .003). During PSC, Chinese females tended to select a limited variety of foods, forgo appearance enhancement items, and dress casually suggesting that ethnic groups vary in eating and dressing behaviors. Findings from this research contribute to the body of knowledge related to stress and its influence on appearance (eating and dressing) behaviors specifically of Chinese female university students when transitioning from one country to another. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Son preference has existed for centuries in many cultures and societies. In some Asian countries, including China and India, the sex ratio at birth (SRB, number of male infants divided by number of female infants times 100) is elevated above the worldwide biological norm of about 105. We investigate whether this ratio is elevated in the U.S. for immigrant women. We analyze U.S. birth certificates for 2004-2013 and categorize births by mother's and father's race/ethnicity; mother's place of birth, and birth order of the child. The SRB is elevated for two groups of women: Chinese women born in China for children of birth order 2 and higher, and Indian women born in India for children of birth order 3 and higher. The SRB is not elevated for Chinese and Indian women born in the U.S., nor for Mexican women, Black women, nor White women, regardless of place of birth. The race/ethnicity of the child's father does not appear to be a strong factor in the SRB. In the early twenty-first century the elevated SRB for Chinese and Indian women born in China and India respectively suggests sex selection for higher order births in the U.S.