Black Immigration and Non-Communicable Disease Health Disparities in the U.S.: Consequences for Research and Policy.

Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa, are projected to see the highest increase in chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the next two decades as part of an epidemiological transition. Although this trend of increasing NCDs is occurring in what may seem a world away, these changing morbidity and mortality patterns in Sub-Saharan Africa have implications for health patterns in the United States (U.S.). Foreign-born Africans represent one of the fastest growing immigrant groups in the U.S. How is the growing heterogeneity within the U.S. black population impacting our understanding of and response to racial and ethnic health disparities in chronic non-communicable conditions? This paper examines the impact of black immigrants on the chronic health experiences of U.S. residents over the course of a decade. Using ten waves of the National Health Interview Survey (2003-2012), I compare the non-communicable health experiences of African-born immigrants, Caribbean/Latin American born-blacks, native-born non-Hispanic, native-born Hispanic blacks, and native-born non-Hispanic whites. Focusing on conditions such as diabetes, heart diseases, hypertension, and stroke, I develop three types of models: one examining differences by race only, one examining differences by race and ethnicity, and one examining differences by race, ethnicity, and nativity. I find significant differences among these models that help clarify the impact of black immigration on NCD disparities. Implications for research and policy are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]