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The objective of the study was to develop a valid and reliable scale for measuring safer sex and sexual communication behaviors among African immigrants. A 68-item instrument based on Health Belief Model (HBM) and acculturation was validated. The test-retest reliability (n= 30) and internal consistency (n= 412) were also tested. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using structural equation modeling (SEM) was used for establishing the construct validity of the instrument (n= 412). The Cronbach's alphas and test-retest reliability coefficients for all the subscales were found to be over.70. The results for CFA yielded acceptable factor loadings (.30) for the subscales and overall the model was a good fit. This instrument has acceptable validity and reliability and can be used for survey and intervention research in African immigrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

African immigrants to the United States are largely increasing in number. However, African immigrants' psychological health and help-seeking behavior remain understudied. J.W. Berry's acculturation theories suggest that immigrants' mental health can be negatively affected by their experience of biological and psychosocial difficulties related to acculturation. Data from a nationally representative study, the New Immigrant Survey, was utilized to examine how acculturation stress factors can predict depressive symptoms in a sub-Saharan African sample of 669 adults. The collectivistic nature of African culture suggests that family support is a critical element in the acculturation process, but family support was not found to be a predictor of help-seeking behavior. Results indicated that when birth country was controlled for, proficient English language skills and higher education level were predictive of increased help-seeking behavior. Additionally, English language proficiency was negatively associated with depressive symptoms. Findings suggest that proficiency in host country's language serves as a protective factor against depressive symptoms, and English proficiency and higher educational attainment predict greater use of support systems in African immigrants. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Compared to Hispanic and Asian immigrants, black immigrants in the United States have been considerably less researched, and until very recently, black African immigrants remained a relatively understudied group. Using data from three waves of the US Census (1980, 1990, and 2000), we assess differences in earnings (and related measures of socioeconomic status) among male and female African Americans and black immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean. Results of the analysis suggest a sizeable earnings advantage for immigrants. Controlling for a host of human capital variables, however, reduced the gap between the earnings of African immigrants and native-born blacks, although the difference still remained statistically significant. No such attenuation was found for immigrants from the Caribbean. The results also indicate that for females only, the immigrant advantage has grown over time. Moreover, the findings show that additional years of work experience in the USA or in foreign countries correspond to a rather sizable increase in hourly earnings for both males and females, but, for males, this effect has grown weaker over time. Finally, men earned more than women, both overall and within comparison groups with the gap remaining relatively stable over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rendering visible African immigrants’ shared and differing experiences of civic learning and action, the authors present findings from in-depth semi-structured interviews with second- and 1.5-generation African immigrants in New York City. Drawing on an interdisciplinary framework of African immigrant identities constructions and civic engagement, we highlight a multilayered view of civic teaching, learning, and action within and across contexts of families, identities, and schooling in the United States, Africa, and globally. In so doing, the research affirms African immigrant youth’s racial and ethnic identities toward broadened understandings of civic engagement such as participatory communal citizenship. The findings support the need for teacher educator preparation for immigrant youth and curriculum within secondary schools in a diverse U.S. society. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This qualitative study examines the lived experiences of Ghanaians and Somalis in Toronto, highlighting the multifaceted interplays between their cultures, housing problems, and coping strategies. We found that, unlike the situation in their homelands where many were involved in communal living out of desire, in Toronto many are driven to live communally for reasons of cost. Also, some respondents have to either improvise, or totally forgo, various culinary practices because of the ways homes are designed in Toronto. Perhaps, no other cultural attribute was found to be more consequential in the housing decisions of our respondents than their religion; not only did it influence their choice of neighborhood and whether or not their internal living arrangements were gendered, but it also had some bearing on the acquisition of interest-laden loans for housing among many Somalis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The identity question is one that African immigrants have to contend with in the acculturation into the American society. The confluence of different cultures detracts continuity of the ethnic identity and calls for reconstructions. This fact creates a difficult path for an easy identity construct. This article discusses how they recreate their identity in the new host country and what educators, community leaders, and service providers can contribute to the process. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on immigrants in the United States is understudied. We investigated the effect of the pandemic on the mental health of African immigrants in the United States and if subjective religiosity was a protective factor. We analyzed primary data collected using an online survey ( n = 260). The study's outcome variable was incident mental health disorder associated with the pandemic, and the primary independent variable was religiosity. Chi-squared and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare the distribution of variables by incident mental health disorders. Logistic regression models were used to quantify the association between predictors and the outcome. There were 39 (15.0%) new cases of mental health disorders related to the pandemic. The median scores in the three domains of religiosity of those who developed a mental health disorder and those who did not were not significantly different. Significant predictors of this outcome included having a strong religious support network and loss of household employment income. African immigrants experienced an increased rate of mental health disorders during the pandemic. Implementing community-based strategies to provide social support during a disaster may be essential in promoting mental health in the African immigrant community.

Background: African immigrants in the U.S. are at high risk of HIV/AIDS because of their risky sexual behaviors, but they are infrequently studied. The purpose of this study was to use health belief model (HBM) to examine safe sexual behaviors among African immigrants. Methods: A cross-sectional design with a 44-item valid and reliable questionnaire based on constructs of HBM was administered to a quota sample of 412 African immigrants in Ohio. Results: The logistic regression analyses revealed that the HBM constructs as a set significantly accounted for the variance in condom use and monogamous behaviors. The findings showed that perceived susceptibility (OR=1.10), perceived barriers (OR=1.10), cues to action (OR=1.19) and self-efficacy (OR=1.21) were significant predictors of condom use (p<.05). Discussion: Based on the findings future HIV/AIDS risk reduction programs among African immigrants can be designed based on HBM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative, community-based research study explored the influence of gender on community perceptions of HIV/AIDS service needs among African immigrant men and women in Calgary, Canada. A total of 41 key informant participants (24 male, 17 female) from 14 sub-Saharan countries completed individual, semi-structured interviews. Thematic interview analysis results produced four themes directly related to HIV and gender, including different sexual standards for men and women, condom use, infidelity, and the need for dialogue between partners on sex and HIV. Each of these themes was related to a contextual theme of “family breakdown”, which resulted from cultural adjustment challenges faced by African immigrants. For men, finding suitable employment was a key issue; for women, isolation was identified as an adjustment factor. The findings suggest that a more holistic conception of HIV prevention may be necessary for programmes to be successful and that HIV/AIDS services should be better integrated with newcomer services. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The challenges of conducting research on intimate partner violence (IPV) in immigrant communities means little is known about the occurrence of various forms of IPV, making it difficult to address in these populations. This research draws on data gathered in Chicago's large and varied African immigrant communities. This research used a mixed methods approach: collection of quantitative survey data on occurrence, followed by qualitative interviews to explain the results. Missing quantitative data and contradicting qualitative responses made it difficult to draw definite conclusions on physical IPV; however, verbal abuse and controlling behaviours appear to be relatively widespread and normalised, and not always viewed as violence. Particularly with the probability of future pandemics and natural disasters, which are known to increase prevalence, it is important to raise awareness of less visible controlling behaviours and verbal abuse as forms of violence, and to implement appropriate prevention programs to minimise a concomitant rise in IPV within African immigrant communities.

African immigrants in the United States experience disparities in HIV incidence. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) effectively prevents HIV infection, yet uptake is low among racial and ethnic minorities. To better understand PrEP adoption among African immigrants, in March 2020, we conducted interviews with Ghanaian immigrants ( N = 40) to explore the barriers and ways to overcome these barriers to PrEP adoption. Participants described several barriers (e.g., low HIV knowledge and risk perception, fear of social judgment, cultural values, and norms), which may impede PrEP adoption. We categorized these barriers according to the levels of the socioecological model (individual, interpersonal, community, and organizational/structural factors). Participants also identified strategies to overcome the barriers, such as providing comprehensive education on HIV and PrEP. Our research provides foundational knowledge that can inform future PrEP research with Ghanaian and other African immigrants and offers important insights into factors that may impact PrEP adoption in this population.

Objective: This study sought to assess the association between unidimensional acculturation and diabetes, and analyze mediating pathways of the association in African immigrants to the United States (U.S.). Hypothesis : Acculturation would be positively associated with diabetes and that BMI (Body mass index), physical activity, and psychological distress would mediate this association. Methods: An analysis of cross-sectional data from the 2010-2017 National Health Interview Surveys was performed. Adults aged ≥ 18 years who were born in Africa (African immigrants) and residing in the U.S. were considered. The outcome was self-reported diabetes, and acculturation was defined by percent of life spent in the U.S. and citizenship. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association between acculturation and diabetes, and mediation analysis was used to examine the mediating effects of BMI, physical activity, and psychological distress on this association. Results: The analytic sample included 1648 African immigrants with mean (SD) age of 41.3 ± 0.45 years; 56.4% male. Additionally, 46% had ≥ college education, and 21.4% lived below the poverty threshold. About two-thirds were overweight/obese. Less than 50% exercised at adequate levels of physical activity levels. A small percentage (1.8%) reported psychological distress. The prevalence of self-reported diabetes was 6.1%, and 76.5% reported being acculturated. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, higher levels of acculturation were associated with higher odds of diabetes diagnosis (Odds Ratio (OR) = 2.2; 95% CI = 1.1-4.4). Although BMI mediated the association between acculturation and diabetes ( Z M e d i a t i o n  = 2.11, p  = 0.036), only 18.9% of the total effect of acculturation on diabetes was explained by BMI. Conclusions: Acculturation increased the odds of diabetes diagnosis, and BMI mediated the association. Thus, tailoring culturally-appropriate interventions to control BMI may contribute to preventing diabetes within African immigrant communities to the U.S.

This study appraises the post-event perceptions and experiences of African immigrant residents, with respect to the 2010 FIFA World Cup hosted in South Africa. The study is unique, in that the subject matter covered has not yet received systematic attention in the research literature on mega sport events in South Africa. In the vast body of scholarly articles that has emerged on the dynamics and consequences of the 2010 event, there have been increasing studies on citizens' perceptions, however a few, if any research have examined the attitude and perceptions of African migrants. Given that the latter social category has been relatively marginalised in terms of South Africa's recent political economy, and the World Cup was framed as 'an African World Cup', this research contributes to an under-researched dimension of the politics of mega sport events in South Africa. Through a multi-method approach, drawing on both qualitative and quantitative methodology, the study offers insights into the way in which a sample of migrants (n=400) in and around the city of Cape Town viewed and framed experiences of the post-event. The key findings of the study reveal perceptions and experiences related to certain predefined African legacy intentions to have been largely positive, as the majority of resident African immigrants in Cape Town perceived that the event has benefited African citizens in terms of job creation, accelerated the development of African football, increased tourism and investment opportunities in Africa etc. The article recommends the need to undertake further empirical studies in order to test, verify and provide precise evidence on how, and to what extent, African countries benefited from the 2010 mega event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residential integration with the dominant native-born population is believed to be a crucial stage in immigrants’ overall assimilation process. It is argued that without residential integration it would be difficult, if not impossible, for immigrants to achieve full incorporation into the host society. This article compares the sociospatial experiences of African immigrants in the United States and Ireland. Results show that African immigrants in Ireland have achieved spatial integration with Irish nationals, while their counterparts in the United States remain spatially separated from white Americans. The extent to which African immigrants’ integration in Ireland can produce other forms of assimilation is questionable, however. Likewise, despite being segregated from whites, African immigrants in the United States have made some modest spatial gains that may facilitate their integration. The cross-national comparison draws into question the generally accepted notion that residential integration is an important intermediary substage in the assimilation process. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

African identity has remained a major subject of scholarly debate. Essentialist discourses promote the notion of a unified African identity, whereas historical and situational realities suggest the contrary. This article draws on empirical evidence from a recent doctoral research study to examine the dynamics of African identities in modern-day Ireland. It challenges the essentialist thesis of homogeneity, and argues instead that in the pragmatic context of migration Africans negotiate multidimensional identities and belongings, forced by compelling particularistic experiences and the need to adopt personal strategies for adaptation and inclusion. However, regardless of the tension between personal and collective identities and interests, prospects exist for fellowship within the African immigrant community, based on the sense of common migration from Africa and collective alienation in the host country. These shared characteristics ultimately become a necessary instrument for political and strategic effectiveness in building a viable African political community in Ireland. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Based on 25 semi-structured interviews, this article examines the racial, ethnic and national identities of second-generation Nigerian immigrants from the San Francisco Bay Area. I elaborate on the segmented-assimilation literature that considers economic circumstances to be a key determinant in identity formation. I show that participants form highly fluid identities throughout the life cycle, pinpointing factors that often get overlooked or de-emphasized in the second-generation incorporation literature such as youth co-ethnic community access, the college integrative experience and transnational social connections, particularly in adulthood. This article extends the black immigration literature that contends that ethnic identity is primarily used as a means of distancing from ‘downwardly mobile’ African-Americans. My findings highlight that respondents embrace a black racial identity that is neither oppositional nor associated with a downward trajectory, lending empirical support for the ‘minority cultures of mobility’ thesis that the minority middle classes share a culture of upward mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Historical and religious connections between Ireland and sub-Saharan Africa somewhat stimulate current African translocations to Ireland. Inspired by the hope of a smooth regularisation of residency and the myth perpetuated in Africa by Irish missionaries, who idealised Ireland as a convivial society, many prospective African immigrants choose the country as their favoured destination. But soon after arrival they find themselves struggling with structures of inequality and discrimination, an experience that forces them to engage various associational practices to negotiate Irish exclusionary institutional structures and create subaltern spaces of belonging through which they redefine citizenship and belonging. This article looks at how these organisations mediate their people's struggles for equality, social change and relationships with wider society, in addition to attempts to build structures for the emergence of a viable African political community in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This photographic essay is about a multiethnic urban immigrant quartier in central Paris. The text and the selection of photographs reflect a mediation on urban space in the Goutte d'Or and the ways in which transnational migrants from North and West Africa imprint Paris with their own rhythms, images, and culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we examine how immigrants from eastern Africa to the Minneapolis and St. Paul metropolitan area understand and navigate the U.S. color line and its implications for nonwhites. Although these immigrants are subject to constraints based on their racial status as black, they mobilize other intersecting aspects of their identities to manipulate racial classifications in the hopes of attaining upward mobility in the United States, even when doing so creates other social costs for them. Eastern African immigrants draw on their ethnicity and, among Muslim immigrants, their religion to differentiate themselves from African Americans, who occupy the lowest position in the U.S. racial hierarchy. In challenging their categorization as racially black and seeking to move up the racial hierarchy, Eastern African immigrants refine the color line to distinguish between African-American blacks and non-African-American blacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mainstream understandings of nation-state development focus primarily on economic factors, consequently rendering invisible other viable ways, through which important development occurs in African societies. In extending the current theoretical framework beyond its focus on economics to encompass political, human capital and technological development, this article provides evidence linking African Americans to African attempts at development, first in Ethiopia, which remained uncolonised until 1938 and then through Ghana, which became the first sub-Saharan African nation to gain its independence from British colonial rule. The resulting theoretical payoff includes a broadened concept of development, which much more accurately represents and predicts reality. Empirically, the findings offer much-needed insight about the relationship, correspondence and differences between African historical Diaspora in the United States and more recent migration movements from African countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Saúde e Sociedade is the property of Universidade de Sao Paulo, Faculdade de Saude Publica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Over the last four decades, more African immigrants (or continental Africans) have voluntarily immigrated to America than were reportedly shipped to America through the slave trade. As continental Africans are making their homes in American cities, towns and rural communities, they are slowly changing the dynamics of American residential (Massey, Mooney, Tortes, 2007; Schmidt, Alex-Assensoh, Aoki and Hero, 2010); cultural and economic life (Stoller 2002) and calling into question the very meaning of the terms "Black" and "African-American". Yet, when it comes to American politics, the presence of voluntary African immigrants is largely over-looked, and it is assumed that Black political behavior in America reflects unified, homogenous and distinctive racialized perspectives based on common ancestor despite the large waves of African immigrants with diverse ethnic, national, cultural, and ideological differences. Marshalling a diverse array of data on African immigrants and native-born African-Americans, this analysis examines similarities and contrasts between native-born African-Americans and their African immigrant counterparts. The analysis demonstrates the emergence of multiple black ethnic identities, growing socio-economic advantage of African immigrants over African-Americans as well as Latinos, and varied forms of political socialization as a result of vastly different associational and religious networks Together, these trends signal the possible emergence of a new Black Politics that is more transnational and much less distinctive than in previous decades, with profound implications for traditional views, black political beliefs, and behavior within the context of American racial politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The present study (N =293) examined whether stereotype endorsement and prejudice moderate stereotype lift (i.e., a performance boost caused by the salience of a negative out-group stereotype in the testing situation). The stereotype in the focus of inquiry was the belief that immigrant students have lower intellectual ability than native students. French native high school students performed an intellectual test in a condition of low stereotype salience (the test was presented as assessing individual differences) or in a condition of high stereotype salience (the test was presented as assessing group differences between African immigrants and native students). As expected, results indicated that native students high in stereotype endorsement and those high in prejudice performed better in the high than in the low stereotype salience condition, whereas those low on these constructs did not. By identifying two moderators of stereotype lift, this study sheds new light on the achievement gap between immigrant and native students in educational institutions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article presents a study on the African immigrants in Washington, D.C. It investigates the details of African immigrants' life histories, the transnational social networks that influence their migration decisions, and their perceptions of Washington as a place. It also examines how African immigrants are adding new layers of meaning to spaces within Washington, in a dynamic and complex process that requires them to navigate local power relations and reinterpret their identities in a racialised environment. The authors employ a combined anthropological and geographical approach in analysing the multiple meanings and layers of significance that migrants ascribe to a place.

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Copyright of Cadernos PAGU is the property of Universidade Estadual de Campinas - Portal de Periodicos Eletronicos Cientificos and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Although studies on police attitudes in Finland are quite scarce, the attempt to understand police cadets' attitudes has received even less empirical attention. It is generally assumed that police and ethnic minorities' relations brim with mutual suspicions. The empirical research literature supports this assumption that this relationship is filled with mutual misconceptions. Using a questionnaire, we tried to test these hypotheses through the responses of police cadets who had spent the mandatory 2.5 years of police cadet training in the Finnish Police School. This was in addition to a voluntary in-depth interview on a one-to-one basis. The questionnaire was introduced to two sets of graduating police cadet students in their classrooms. The questionnaire used contained a set of questions, which were used to extract information from the respondents in order to gain a broader understanding of police cadet attitudes towards their contacts with African immigrants in Finland. Using SPSS statistical analysis, the results suggest that there has been little contact between police cadets and African immigrants in Finland and, as a result, mutual suspicion is rife. In addition, the relationship between the police cadets and African immigrants is quite different across age, gender, education, and language skills of police cadets. In other words these variables operated in unexpected ways, which run directly counter to well-accepted assumptions regarding the police and African immigrants in Finland. These police cadets' views could offer us an important insight into the larger police force [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is principally concerned with an issue, that presently does not appear to have received much attention in academic literature in Finland, namely the perception and experiences of immigrant minority with the police. These issues have only appeared in a limited way in Finnish research findings. Furthermore, an immigrant minority and the majority may have vastly different views on police behaviour, which could easily be attributed to cultural differences. However, few qualitative studies have validated this claim. This is an attempt to explore this issue by seeking to place the respondents' perception and experiences into context by using their prior experiences, which seem not to have appeared frequently in Finnish research findings, as the basis of my analysis. Thus, this present study assesses this concept in detail and considers whether it is possible to reconceptualise the traditional research approaches to understand police/immigrant minority relations in Finland on the basis of different socio-historical perspectives found in the literatures of police/ethnic minority relations. Specifically, it assessed my interviewees' views by drawing on an in-depth interview with 53 African immigrants on the basis of their knowledge, perception and experiences in Turku. Finally, this was also an attempt to offer useful knowledge that may be utilised in further research into immigrant minority issues in Finland. The study concludes that, given the cultural and contextual nature of the respondents' different interpretations of issues in Finland, a formulaic approach for tackling these interpretations is necessary in Finland [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a victim-oriented approach study on the racial harassment of the African immigrants in Turku, Finland. The study is based from 120 African immigrants through questionnaires and interviews. The study reveals that most African immigrants have experienced racial harassment and intimidation on the street and in restaurants usually in the evening. The study suggests for the need to report any racial harassment experienced to raise public awareness.

The concept of identity, the development of one's sense of self, is a dynamic concept that shifts with both internal and external changes. For African immigrants who come to the United States, the concept of identity has multiple shifting layers of meaning. This paper outlines both a chronological developmental model as well as an ethnic minority model of identity development and illustrates the ethnic minority model with examples from interviews of thirteen African immigrants from five African countries living in the Denver, Colorado, metropolitan area. The reader is introduced to these thirteen persons, first and second generation African immigrants from five separate families. These persons have come to the United States from Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Uganda during the years 1977 to 1992. They share their stories and their insights into US culture and the unfolding of their own identities as they become part of the social fabric of the United States of America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines how African immigrants perceive and allege police bias in Turku, expressed towards them in the various unpleasant circumstances in which they interact. In addition, this was also an attempt to understand the rhetorical allegations that most African immigrants in Turku apply in judging the police. Secondly, we would be drawing on the respondents’ answers to our questionnaire and a semi-structured in-depth interview with 88 African immigrants who have resided in Finland for more than 8 years. The author focussed especially on those who were naturalised citizens, refugees and those with permanent residence permits. The interviews were conducted in their homes, or in cafes and restaurants, and the interviews lasted from 60 to 90min and were tape-recorded. Thirdly, we examined the sources of African immigrants’ allegations of bias levelled against the Finnish police this was based on questions relating to race, education, culture and contact with the police in Turku. Finally, this study also discusses and analyses several major issues which confront African immigrants and offers some suggestions as to what might be needed in police training to counteract the rampant mistrust and lack of satisfaction among African immigrants concerning the police. This is in line with trying to understand or reflect on the root causes of bias. Rather than dismissing these allegations, we tried to explain, understand and identify the causes of this misconception among African immigrants in Turku. Our study findings demonstrate the importance of exploring both contacts and the working relationship between the police and African immigrants in Turku for here lie unique features that could help us understand African immigrants’ perceptions of police in this city. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The condition of Africans in the diaspora proffers insight into not just their adaptation to their new countries, but also the nature of racial stratification at their destinations. We examine race differences in earnings between black and white Africans in America and find sizeable differences among immigrants who have relatively similar human capital profiles. Whites have annual earnings 80 per cent higher than their black counterparts, and the gap in hourly wage is almost 48 per cent. More significantly, more than half (53 per cent) of the race difference in wages remains unexplained by earnings-related attributes such as education, occupation, and hours worked. We discuss these results against the backdrop of the ongoing debate on discrimination and the significance of race for socio-economic attainment in America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines health status, health behaviors, and health care access and utilization among African-born residents of the metropolitan Washington, DC area. A telephone survey was administered to a random sample of 525 African-born adults. Results are compared to those for the general local and regional population. Twenty-nine percent of respondents were uninsured; 24% lacked a usual, appropriate source of primary care. Among female respondents, 44% and 34% reported never having had a mammogram or pap smear, respectively. Most health status indicators demonstrated relatively good health, but 15% of respondents reported one of the infectious diseases we investigated. Consumption of alcohol and tobacco was relatively low. African-born residents are generally at risk regarding access to health care, and certain segments (the uninsured, recent arrivals) face critical access barriers. Infectious diseases are a notable feature of health status, and use of some preventive and dental services is considerably lower than for the general population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between depression and racial identity attitudes of Ethiopian immigrants in the United States was investigated. A total of 101 participants completed the Tedla-Hopkins Symptoms Checklist-15 (a depression measure) and the Racial Identity Attitudes Scale-Amharic and gave demographic information, including a brief measure of their reference group. A positive correlation was found between preencounter attitudes of racial identity (in which one denies oneself membership into one's race) and depression and between preencounter attitudes and reference group identification. Depression was best predicted by education level. Individuals who endorsed preencounter attitudes of racial identity, in which one denies oneself membership into the Black race (pro-White/anti-Black attitudes), were not only more likely to identify Europeans as their reference group but were also significantly more likely to be depressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guidelines recommend hepatitis B (HBV) testing in individuals from endemic areas, and if positive, screening for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). While screening programs are well established in the Asian immigrant population in New York City (NYC), less is known about the characteristics of HBV/HCC among the African immigrant community. A retrospective review was performed of HCC cases from 2005 to 2018 at our institution. Country of origin was not documented in the electronic medical record; therefore, African immigrant status was approximated using self-identified race/ethnicity, positive HBV status, and an online registry to determine country of origin based on last name. Surnames with the greatest prevalence or density in an African country were considered. Among 4400 patients with HCC, 472 identified as non-Hispanic Black; of these, 86 were HBV+. Based on surname, it was estimated that 33 individuals were likely immigrants from Africa. In this group, median age of HCC diagnosis was 48 years (IQR 43-55). In patients with an available date of HBV diagnosis (n = 24), 17 (71%) were unaware of their HBV status when they presented with HCC. Zero patients were diagnosed with HCC through routine screening, most patients (66%) were diagnosed upon imaging evaluation of symptoms. Twelve patients (36%) underwent resection or transplantation; the remaining 64% were ineligible for surgical treatment. Of the 26 patients with follow-up data, 18 (69%) died of disease or were critically ill at last encounter, and of these, 14 (77%) died within 1 year of HCC diagnosis. In conclusion, African immigrants in NYC with HBV/HCC are at high risk of HCC related mortality at a young age. Most were unaware of their hepatitis status at the time of HCC diagnosis. No patients were enrolled in routine HCC screening; the majority were diagnosed based on imaging obtained for symptoms. Most individuals presented with inoperable disease, and the majority died within months of diagnosis. Awareness of these findings may help healthcare providers improve patient outcomes., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Research suggests a disparity in the prevalence of dementia, with Black older adults having double the risk compared to their White counterparts. African immigrants are a fast-growing segment of the U.S. Black population, but the dementia care needs and resources of this population are not fully understood. In this paper, we describe the process of working collaboratively with a community partner and project advisory board to conduct a culturally informed project. Specifically, we describe the process of developing culturally informed instruments to collect data on dementia care needs and resources among African immigrants. Working together with a diverse project advisory board, a guide was developed and used to conduct community conversations about experiences with dementia/memory loss. Transcripts from six conversations with 24 total participants were transcribed and analyzed thematically by two independent coders in Nvivo. These qualitative findings were used to inform the development of a survey for quantitative data collection that is currently ongoing. Themes (e.g., cultural attitudes, challenges, and current resources) from the community conversations that informed the survey are described briefly. Despite the challenges of conducting research during a global pandemic, having trusting relationships with a partnering community organization and project advisory board facilitated the successful development of instruments to conduct preliminary dementia care research in an underserved population. We anticipate that survey results will inform interventions that increase education, outreach, and access to dementia care and caregiving resources for this population. It may serve as a model for community-university partnerships for similar public health efforts in dementia as well as other chronic disease contexts.

This cross-sectional study aims to describe the self-care of adult African immigrants in the US with chronic illness and explore the relationship between acculturation and self-care. A total of 88 African immigrants with chronic illness were enrolled. Self-care was measured with the Self Care of Chronic Illness Inventory v3 and the Self-Care Self-Efficacy scale. Scores are standardized 0 to 100 with scores >70 considered adequate. Acculturation was measured using a modified standardized acculturation instrument and predefined acculturation proxies. The self-care scores showed adequate self-care, with the mean scores of 78.6, 77.9, and 75.6 for self-care maintenance, monitoring, and management. Self-care self-efficacy mean score was 81.3. Acculturation was not significantly associated with self-care. Self-care self-efficacy was a strong determinant of self-care maintenance ( p  < .0001), monitoring ( p  < .0001), and management ( p  < .0001). The perception of inadequate income was a significant determinant of poor self-care management ( p  = .03). Self-care self-efficacy and perceived income adequacy were better determinants of self-care than acculturation.

Acculturation and immigration-related factors may impact preventive, routine cardiovascular risk (CV) screening among African immigrants. We examined the associations between length of stay, percent of life spent in the U.S. (proxy for acculturation), and CV screening. Outcomes were recent screening for hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to examine these relationships. Among 437 African immigrants, 60% were males, mean age was 47 years, 61% had lived in the U.S. for ≥10 years, mean length of stay was 15 years, and 81% were employed. Only 67% were insured. In the 12 months prior, 85% had screened for hypertension, 45% for diabetes, and 63% for dyslipidemia. African immigrants with a ≥10-year length of U.S. stay had 2.20 (95%Confidence Intervals: 1.31−3.67), and those with >25% years of life spent in the U.S. had 3.62 (95%CI: 1.96−6.68) higher odds of dyslipidemia screening compared to those with a <10-year length of stay and ≤25% years of life spent in the U.S., respectively. Overall, screening for CV risk higher in African immigrants who have lived longer (≥10 years) in the U.S. Recent African immigrants may experience challenges in accessing healthcare. Health policies targeting recent and uninsured African immigrants may improve access to CV screening services.