Stress Measured by Allostatic Load Score Varies by Reason for Immigration: The Africans in America Study.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Reason for immigration as a biological stress has not been studied in Africans. Our goal was to determine in African immigrants, if biological stress measured by allostatic load score (ALS) varies by reason for immigration.

Methods

Using an ALS which had been previously developed with the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data to assess stress due to racism and nativity, ALS was calculated in 85 African immigrants (67% male, age 42 ± 10 years). For confirmation, we tested five additional ALS also built from NHANES.

Results

The two reasons for immigration which consistently had the lowest ALS were family reunification and lottery winner for self and immediate family. The other reasons for immigration such as study, asylum/refugee, and

SUBMITTER: Utumatwishima JN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5656551 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature