Influence of Nativity Status on Breast Cancer Risk Among US Black Women

Abstract

Black women are at increased risk for breast cancer mortality. The black category is assumed to be homogeneous, an assumption that may be misleading. This study aims to examine the relationship between nativity and breast cancer risk factors among women identified as black. A sample of 236 black women over 18 years of age in Brooklyn, New York, was recruited. Data were collected on race/ethnicity, breast cancer risk factors, and other sociodemographic, behavioral, and early life experience factors. Logistic regression analyses were used to estimate prevalence ratios for association between nativity and breast cancer risk factors. US-born blacks were more likely to be unemployed, smoke, not breastfeed, and breastfeed for a shorter duration than foreign-born blacks (all p< or =0.01). Foreign-born blacks were more likely to have parents who achieved at least a high school education (p<0.05). After adjustment for smoking, employment, and parental education, US-born blacks were twice as likely to never breastfeed (PR 2.2, 95% CI: 1.1, 4.46) compared to foreign-born blacks. Among women who breastfed, US-born blacks were also less likely to breastfeed for 6-11 months or more than 12 months, but these associations were not statistically significant. Because lactation reduces breast cancer risk and is a leading modifiable risk factor, understanding its variation within black women will help physicians and public health practitioners to target patient counseling and education of breast cancer risk.

Do foreign‐ and U.S.‐born mothers across racial/ethnic groups have a similar risk profile for selected sociodemographic and periconceptional factors?

“…Foreign-born black and API mothers were less likely to smoke cigarettes during the periconceptional period, as previously reported (Singh and Yu, 1996;Cubbin et al, 2002;Borrell et al, 2006). We could not confirm previous findings of significantly lower rates of drug use among APIs (Singh and Yu, 1996) because our sample had no foreign-born APIs who reported substance abuse.…”

“…Studies suggest that foreign-born mothers have lower household incomes and levels of education compared to U.S.-born mothers (e.g., Gould et al, 2003). Conversely, foreign-born mothers have lower rates of exposures to unfavorable behavioral characteristics such as alcohol drinking, cigarette smoking, environmental tobacco smoke, and maternal illnesses compared to their U.S.-born counterparts (Ventura and Taffel, 1985;Cabral et al, 1990;Singh and Yu, 1996;Cocroft et al, 2002;Cubbin et al, 2002;Borrell et al, 2006;Perreira and Cortes, 2006;Barcenas et al, 2007;Ethen et al, 2008). Generally, most of these studies examined specific risk factors without a focus on the periconceptional period.…”

“…Very few studies have examined these differences separately, among maternal race/ethnic groups (Cubbin et al, 2002;Borrell et al, 2006;Perreira and Cortes, 2006). Most studies have considered only one race/ethnic group or combined the groups (Borrell et al, 2006;Zhu et al, 2006) whereas others examined one ethnic group using another group as a referent (Perreira and Cortes, 2006).…”

HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infection Risk Behaviors and Beliefs Among Black West Indian Immigrants and US-Born Blacks

“…[27][28][29][30][31][32][33] Less is known about the HIV-related risk behaviors of immigrants than about other aspects of their mental and physical health, and most of the literature pertains to Mexican immigrants residing in the southwestern United States. 21,[34][35][36][37] Moreover, scant information exists on the HIV-related risk profiles of Black immigrants, 32 who are indistinguishable from USborn Blacks with respect to public health indicators.…”

Immigration as a Social Determinant of Health

“…The primary topics addressed by the behavioral approach to immigration and health include health service utilization (44,64), cancer risk behaviors and screening (18,83,146), chronic disease (30,60,70), and mental health (10,64). Most articles conduct analyses of immigrants' health practices rather than of the social or economic contexts of these practices.…”