Papers by Krista Perreira
Social science & medicine (1982), 2014
Latin America is one of the most ethnoracially heterogeneous regions of the world. Despite this, ... more Latin America is one of the most ethnoracially heterogeneous regions of the world. Despite this, health disparities research in Latin America tends to focus on gender, class and regional health differences while downplaying ethnoracial differences. Few scholars have conducted studies of ethnoracial identification and health disparities in Latin America. Research that examines multiple measures of ethnoracial identification is rarer still. Official data on race/ethnicity in Latin America are based on self-identification which can differ from interviewer-ascribed or phenotypic classification based on skin color. We use data from Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru to examine associations of interviewer-ascribed skin color, interviewer-ascribed race/ethnicity, and self-reported race/ethnicity with self-rated health among Latin American adults (ages 18-65). We also examine associations of observer-ascribed skin color with three additional correlates of health - skin color discrimination,...
Southeastern Geographer, 2011
... 1. Geographic Distribution of States and Major Cities in Mexico. Source: Prepared byGalo Falc... more ... 1. Geographic Distribution of States and Major Cities in Mexico. Source: Prepared byGalo Falchettore and Krista M. Perreira. 5 years ... Griffith 2005). Before the Bracero Era: Historical Connections between Mexico and the US South. In ...
New England Journal of Medicine, 2013
ABSTRACT Serious problems have plagued the much-anticipated rollout of the health insurance excha... more ABSTRACT Serious problems have plagued the much-anticipated rollout of the health insurance exchanges created under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Many Americans have been unable to sign up for insurance because of difficulties with the online marketplaces, and insurers are often receiving inaccurate information from the government about people who do manage to enroll. If such problems persist, they could deter relatively healthy persons from obtaining coverage and prevent the ACA from meeting its enrollment goals. Problems with the federal website will probably recede over time; indeed, its accessibility to consumers is already improving. The greatest long-term challenge to Obamacare remains . . .
American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2012
Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition, 2015
Cross-sectional studies indicate that adaptation to Western norms, especially at a younger age, m... more Cross-sectional studies indicate that adaptation to Western norms, especially at a younger age, might explain the higher average body mass index (BMI) among Asians living in the United States (US) compared to Asians living in Asia. However, migrants differ from non-migrants in sociocultural factors that are difficult to measure and, thus, longitudinal studies on the same individuals prior to and after immigration are needed. The objective of this study was to determine differences in changes in BMI across age by residence (US or Asia) and age at immigration using longitudinal data on BMI prior to and after immigration. The California Men's Health Study includes 1,549 foreign-born Asian men who were aged 44-71 at baseline in 2002-03. BMI at ages 30, 40, 50 and 60 was calculated using self-reported weight history and cur-rent height. Residence at each age decade and age at immigration were determined. Data were analyzed using generalized estimating equations. Ten-year BMI increase...
Zero to Three, Nov 1, 2008
Abstract: As the Latino population in the US grows, clinicians, researchers, and practitioners ha... more Abstract: As the Latino population in the US grows, clinicians, researchers, and practitioners have begun to develop strategies to help Latino children and their parents adapt to life in the United States. This article describes how the stressors of immigration contribute to the ...
Circulation, Mar 26, 2013
Prevention Researcher, Jan 10, 2007
Abstract: If current trends continue, over 20% of American children will be the children of immig... more Abstract: If current trends continue, over 20% of American children will be the children of immigrants and many will be Latino within the next decade (Urban Institute, 2006). Thus, health, education, and prevention professionals will likely work with immigrant youth at ...
Journal of Latina/o Psychology, 2015
Background and Purpose: A challenge facing mental health professionals is the translation of exis... more Background and Purpose: A challenge facing mental health professionals is the translation of existing empirically-supported interventions, such as IPT (Weissman, 2001), to new populations with unique contexts. Up to 64% of low-income, Spanish-speaking Latina mothers of infants and toddlers experience clinically significant depressive symptoms. These mothers are confronted with economic hardship, loss of extended family and community support through immigration, LEP, parenting stress, and pressure to rapidly acculturate. Symptoms limit their ability to talk, play, comfort and offer appropriate stimulation and developmental support to their children jeopardizing the child's optimal development and achievement. Many new destination areas in the US have inadequate Spanish-language mental health services. This study presents the results of a randomized controlled trial of an interpersonally-based home intervention and will explore modification of the intervention, compared with IPT, ...
Population Research and Policy Review, 2015
Latino immigrant adolescents have the highest high school dropout rates of any race-ethnic or nat... more Latino immigrant adolescents have the highest high school dropout rates of any race-ethnic or nativity group in the United States. One potential reason for high dropout rates among Latino immigrant youth is that many are unauthorized entrants. These unauthorized Latino immigrant youth have few opportunities to attend college, and, as they become aware of barriers to their educational progress and employment, they may lower their educational expectations. Using data from the Latino Adolescent Migration, Health, and Adaptation Project (N=275), we examine the association of unauthorized entry into the U.S. with the educational expectations of Latino immigrant youth. We find that adolescents entering the U.S. without authorization have lower educational expectations than those who enter with authorization. These differences in their expectations persist after controlling for differences in their pre-migration, migration, and post-migration experiences. Policies and programs that reduce barriers to higher education and labor market opportunities can potentially help to foster higher educational expectations among unauthorized immigrant youth and may promote their high school completion.
Journal of studies on alcohol, 2001
Four waves of the Health and Retirement Study were used to examine changes in alcohol consumption... more Four waves of the Health and Retirement Study were used to examine changes in alcohol consumption co-occurring and following stress associated with major health, family and employment events. The final sample consisted of 7,731 (3,907 male) individuals between the ages of 51 and 61 at baseline. We used multinomial logit analysis to study associations between important life events and changes in alcohol consumption over a 6-year study period. Interactions between stressful life events, gender and problem drinking were also evaluated. Most persons (68%) did not change their use of alcohol over the entire 6 years. Hospitalization and onset of a chronic condition were associated with decreased drinking levels. Retirement was associated with increased drinking. Widowhood was associated with increased drinking but only for a short time. Getting married or divorced was associated with both increases and decreases in drinking, with a complex lag structure. A history of problem drinking infl...
Obesity, 2015
To assess the relationship between parental acculturation and infant feeding style in a sample of... more To assess the relationship between parental acculturation and infant feeding style in a sample of Latino parents. A post hoc analysis was performed using data from an ongoing four-site randomized controlled trial to promote early childhood obesity prevention. Cross-sectional data of parent-child dyads at the 12-month well-child visit who self-reported their Latino ethnicity were analyzed. The Short Acculturation Scale for Hispanics (SASH) and a subset of the Infant Feeding Style Questionnaire (IFSQ) that assessed four primary feeding styles were administered. SASH level (low vs. high) with each feeding style was compared by analyses. Complete SASH data were available for 398 of 431 Latino dyads. Median SASH score was 1.8 (IQR 1.4-2.7); 82% of participants had low acculturation (score < 3). Of the nine outcome variables, four were significantly associated with SASH: "Laissez-Faire/attention" (AOR: 2.3; 95% CI: 1.06-5.13; P = 0.004), "Laissez-Faire/diet quality" (AOR: 3.9; 95% CI: 1.7-8.75; P = 0.005), "Pressuring as soothing" (AOR: 3.6; 95% CI:1.63-8.05; P = 0.007), and "Restrictive/diet quality" (AOR: 0.4; 95% CI: 0.19-0.94; P = 0.031). Latino parents with lower acculturation were more likely than those with higher acculturation to endorse feeding styles that are associated with child obesity. Further research is needed to determine why acculturation and feeding style relate.
Background: Little is known about alcohol use among sexual minority Latinos, a sub-group includin... more Background: Little is known about alcohol use among sexual minority Latinos, a sub-group including gay men, men who have sex with men who do not self-identify as gay, and gender variant or transgender persons. Complementing qualitative research that found drinking was a fundamentally social activity in this population, we tested whether social support buffered associations between social stressors and drinking. Methods: We recruited 190 immigrant sexual minority Latinos via Respondent-Driven Sampling for psychosocial and behavioral assessments in Spanish or English. We tested whether associations between social stressors and drinking frequency (4-level categorical variable) and binge drinking (count of binge episodes in the past 30 days) varied by level of social support. Results: English use was positively associated with binge drinking, but social support attenuated the relationship. Contrary to expectations, social support exacerbated the positive association between social comfo...
Psychosomatic Medicine, 2014
The current study examined multiple stress indicators (chronic, perceived, traumatic) in relation... more The current study examined multiple stress indicators (chronic, perceived, traumatic) in relation to prevalent coronary heart disease, stroke, and major cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors (i.e., diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and current smoking) in the multisite Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos Sociocultural Ancillary Study (2010-2011). Participants were 5313 men and women 18 to 74 years old, representing diverse Hispanic/Latino ethnic backgrounds, who underwent a comprehensive baseline clinical examination and sociocultural examination with measures of stress. Chronic stress burden was related to a higher prevalence of coronary heart disease after adjusting for sociodemographic, behavioral, and biological risk factors (odds ratio [OR; 95% confidence interval], 1.22 [1.10-1.36]) and related to stroke prevalence in the model adjusted for demographic and behavioral factors (OR [95% confidence interval], 1.26 [1.03-1.55]). Chronic stress was also related to a higher prevalence of diabetes (OR = 1.20 [1.11-1.31]) and hypertension (OR = 1.10 [1.02-1.19]) in individuals free from CVD (n = 4926). Perceived stress (OR = 1.03 [1.01-1.05]) and traumatic stress (OR = 1.15 [1.05-1.26]) were associated with a higher prevalence of smoking. Participants who reported a greater number of lifetime traumatic events also unexpectedly showed a lower prevalence of diabetes (OR = 0.89 [0.83-0.97]) and hypertension (OR = 0.88 [0.82-0.93]). Effects were largely consistent across age and sex groups. The study underscores the advantages of examining multiple indicators of stress in relation to health because the direction and consistency of associations may vary across distinct stress conceptualizations. In addition, the study suggests that chronic stress is related to higher CVD risk and prevalence in Hispanics/Latinos, the largest US ethnic minority group.
Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 2005
... to Inform Practice A presentation based on the work of Mimi V. Chapman and Krista M. Perreira... more ... to Inform Practice A presentation based on the work of Mimi V. Chapman and Krista M. Perreira UNC School of Social Work ... References Bird, H., Canino, GJ, Davies, M., Zhang, H., Ramirez, R., & Lahey, BB (2001). Prevalence and correlates of antisocial behaviors among three ...
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Papers by Krista Perreira