Does an Immigrant Health Advantage Exist Among US Whites? Evidence from a Nationally-Representative Examination of Mental and Physical Well-Being.

This study examines whether an immigrant health advantage exists among US Whites, a group often used as a reference category in research on racial and ethnic health disparities. Using recent data from the National Health Interview Survey (2019-2022), I disaggregate non-Hispanic White adults (n = 41,752) by nativity status and use logistic regression models to assess differences in six measures of mental and physical health. The analysis includes self-reported conditions (depression, anxiety, fair/poor self-rated health) and diagnosed conditions that require interaction with the healthcare system (hypertension, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD). Foreign-born Whites have a significantly lower prevalence of each health outcome relative to US-born Whites. The immigrant health advantage remains significant for depression, anxiety, fair/poor health (i.e., self-reported conditions) and diagnosed hypertension, after adjusting for sociodemographic and healthcare characteristics. In contrast, the inclusion of these explanatory factors reduces the nativity gap in diagnosed diabetes and COPD to non-significance. Overall, the results indicate important variation in health among Whites that is missed in studies that focus on US-born Whites, alone. Scholars must continue to monitor the health of White immigrants, who are projected to grow to 20% of the US immigrant population in the years to come.

Caring for Individuals with Alzheimer's Disease: A Spotlight on Hispanic Caregivers.

 A caregiver is a constantly evolving role that an individual most likely undertakes at some point in their lifetime. With discoveries and research in increasing life expectancy, the prevalence of neurological-related diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia, is certainly likely to require more caregivers. The demand for AD caregivers is escalating as the prevalence of the disease continues to rise. The projected rise in AD within the Hispanic population in the United States over the next few decades is expected to be the most significant among all ethnic groups. The Hispanic population faces unique dementia risks due to cultural factors like language barriers, lower education, and limited healthcare access. Higher rates of conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease further elevate dementia risk. Family dynamics and caregiving responsibilities also differ, affecting dementia management within Hispanic households. Addressing these distinct challenges requires culturally sensitive approaches to diagnosis, treatment, and support for Hispanic individuals and their family's facing dementia. With AD and other dementia becoming more prevalent, this article will attempt to expand upon the status of caregivers concerning their economic, health, and cultural statuses. We will attempt to focus on the Hispanic caregivers that live in Texas and more specifically, West Texas due to the lack of current literature that applies to this area of Texas. Lastly, we discuss the ramifications of a multitude of factors that affect caregivers in Texas and attempt to provide tools that can be readily available for Hispanics and others alike.

Colon Cancer Survival Among South Asian Americans: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of a National Dataset.

INTRODUCTION: Colon cancer (CC) is one of the most common cancers among South Asian Americans (SAAs). The objective of this study was to measure differences in risk-adjusted survival among SAAs with CC compared to non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs) using a representative national dataset from the United States. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patients with CC in the National Cancer Database (2004-2020) was performed. Differences in presentation, management, median overall survival (OS), three-year survival, and five-year survival between SAAs and NHWs were compared. Kaplan-Meier analysis and multivariable Cox regression were used to assess differences in survival outcomes, adjusting for demographics, presentation, and treatments received. RESULTS: Data from 2873 SAA and 639,488 NHW patients with CC were analyzed. SAAs were younger at diagnosis (62.2 versus 69.5 y, P < 0.001), higher stage (stage III [29.0% versus 26.2%, P = 0.001] or Stage IV [21.4% versus 20.0%, P = 0.001]), and experienced delays to first treatment (SAA 5.9% versus 4.9%, P = 0.003). SAAs with CC had higher OS (median not achieved versus 68.1 mo for NHWs), three-year survival (76.3% versus 63.4%), and five-year survival (69.1% versus 52.9%). On multivariable Cox regression, SAAs with CC had a lower risk of death across all stages (hazard ratio: 0.64, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In this national study, SAA patients with CC presented earlier in life with more advanced disease, and a higher proportion experienced treatment delay compared to NHW patients. Despite these differences, SAAs had better adjusted OS than NHW, warranting further exploration of tumor biology and socioeconomic determinants of cancer outcomes in SAAs.

Alcohol and cannabis use and co-use among Whites and Hispanics on and off the U.S./Mexico border in California.

This paper examines self-reported rates of drinking and cannabis use and co-use among White and Hispanic adults randomly selected in four counties in California: Imperial on the border; and Kern, Tulare, and Madera in California's Central Valley. Co-use was significantly higher among the U.S. born than among those born abroad, and in the Central Valley than on the border. Co-users were heavier drinkers, had higher rates of alcohol use disorder, other alcohol problems, and a positive history of illicit drug use than drinkers only.

Anthropometry and Current Aesthetic Concept of the Lower Third of the Face and Lips in Caucasian Adult Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: The lack of standardization of the norms and aesthetic concept of the lower third of the face and lips creates challenges in reconstructive surgery and aesthetic procedures. A large-scale, anthropometric measurements summary poses an alternative for establishing universal patterns. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted by searching PubMed, Embase, Google Scholar and Web of Science using keywords: lip, face, aesthetics, beauty, anthropometry and Caucasian. Seventy records were included in the review and checked in detail in terms of available data. RESULTS: The study contains a meta-analysis of twelve parameters with sufficient quantitative data-lip width, nose width, facial width, lower third of the face height, midline mandible height, total height of the upper and lower lip, upper and lower vermilion height, cutaneous upper lip height and nasolabial and mentolabial angle. CONCLUSIONS: The review provides a detailed database of primary anthropometric studies of lips and perioral regions of the healthy Caucasian population. The attractiveness of the region is focused on uniformity of proportions. Notably, results acquired with different methods of measurement are not interchangeable. Despite many published anthropometric studies, systems for conducting the measurements and reporting the results are not sufficiently unified to quantitatively assess meticulous key aesthetic clinical parameters. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE I: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine Ratings, please refer to Table of Contents or online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

An Evaluation of Gastric Emptying Scintigraphy Protocols in Health Care Institutions When Compared with the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Procedure Guidelines.

This study aimed to analyze the compliance of health care institutions with the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) procedure guidelines for gastric emptying scintigraphy (GES). Methods: A 19-question survey on demographics and the GES protocol was conducted using a Google form. The demographic questions covered position, number of technologists in the department, location, type of health care institution, and number of GES studies per month. The protocol questions included patient preparation, meal preparation, withholding of scheduled medications, radiopharmaceutical type, and radiopharmaceutical dose. The survey was sent to 7 nuclear medicine Facebook groups and a list of clinical affiliates provided by the Indiana University School of Medicine Nuclear Medicine Program. Descriptive statistics were compiled for most questions. A Fisher exact test with a significance level of 0.05 was used to compare the type of health care institution with compliance with the SNMMI GES protocol regarding radiolabeling time, meal preparation, and meal components, as well as to compare the type of health care institution with the number of GES studies performed per institution. Results: In total, 240 people responded to the survey. Most were nonsupervisory nuclear medicine technologists (72%) in nonacademic institutions (72%) and groups with 4 or more technologists (62%). Of the respondents, 72% followed the SNMMI guideline of adding the radiopharmaceutical before cooking, but only 37% followed the meal component guideline. There was no significant association between the type of institution or the number of GES studies and compliance with radiolabeling time or with meal preparation or components. Most respondents asked patients to withhold medications per SNMMI guidelines and used the recommended radiopharmaceutical (99mTc-sulfur colloid, 95%) at the recommended dose (18.5-37 MBq, 84%). Conclusion: Although most respondents followed most aspects of the SNMMI guidelines for GES, more than half did not use the recommended meal of liquid egg whites. Compliance did not vary between academic and nonacademic institutions or between groups performing a large or a small number of GES studies.

Protein aggregation caused by pasteurization processing affects the foam performance of liquid egg white.

Pasteurization is necessary during the production of liquid egg whites (LEW), but the thermal effects in pasteurization could cause an unavoidable loss of foaming properties of LEW. This study intended to investigate the mechanism of pasteurization processing affects the foam performance of LEW. The foaming capacity (FC) of LEW deteriorated significantly (ΔFCmax = 72.33 %) and foaming stability (FS) increased slightly (ΔFSmax = 3.64 %) under different temperature-time combinations of pasteurization conditions (P < 0.05). The increased turbidity and the decreased solubility together with the decreased absolute value of Zeta potential indicated the generation of thermally induced aggregates and the instability of the protein particles, Rheological characterization demonstrated improved viscoelasticity in pasteurization liquid egg whites (PLEW), explaining enhanced FS. The study revealed that loss in foaming properties of PLEW resulted from thermal-induced protein structural changes and aggregation, particularly affecting FC. This provided a theoretical reference for the production and processing of LEW products.

Vertical transmission and prevalence of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) in the wild spawning population of the Indian white shrimp, Penaeus indicus.

White spot disease, caused by white spot syndrome virus (WSSV), has historically been the most devastating disease in shrimp aquaculture industry across the world. The mode of virus transmission is the most crucial stage in the dynamics and management of virus infection. This study explored the mechanism of vertical transmission of WSSV in Indian white shrimp, Penaeus indicus, potential native species for domestication and genetic improvement, using quantitative real time PCR (q RT PCR), light and electron microscopy, and in situ hybridization. Wild brooders of P. indicus (n = 2576) were sampled along the South east coast of India, during 2016 to 2021. Of these âˆ¼ 58 % of the brooders were positive for WSSV, and almost 50 % of infected wild brooders were at the various stages of reproductive maturation. WSSV-PCR positive brooders (n = 200) were analysed for vertical WSSV transmission. The q RT PCR studies of reproductive tissues revealed that 61 % (n = 13) of spermatophore, 54 % (n = 28) of immature ovaries and 48 % (n = 27) of ripe ovaries were infected with WSSV. The lowest level of infection was recorded in females with ripe ovaries (6.84 × 101 ± 9.79 × 100 ng genomic DNA) followed by fertilized eggs (1.59 × 102 ± 3.69 × 101 ng genomic DNA), and larvae (nauplius and zoea). The histology of gravid females with high WSSV copies showed pyknotic and karyorrhectic germinal vesicle with degenerated cortical rods. Conversely, the gravid females with low WSSV copies showed fully developed ovary without characteristic signs of WSSV infection. Transmission electron microscopic studies clearly established the presence of WSSV particles in both ovaries and spermatophores. When subjected to in situ hybridization, WSSV-specific signals were observed in connective tissues of spermatophore, although gravid ovary and fertilized eggs were failed to produce WSSV specific signals. The present study provides the first molecular and histological evidence for trans-ovarian vertical transmission of WSSV. Development of disease-free base population being the cornerstone and first step in establishing the breeding program, the present findings could be a basis for development of such programs.

Effect of the Interaction between Transition Metal Redox Center and Cyanide Ligand on Structural Evolution in Prussian White Cathodes.

Transition metal (TM) based Prussian whites, comprising a cyanide anion ((C≡N)-) and TM cations in an alternative manner, have been widely adopted as cathode materials for rechargeable batteries. Prussian whites are characterized by the TM electronic states that exclusively adopt low spin (LS) toward the C atom and high spin (HS) toward the N atom through the hybridized covalent bonding in the TM─C≡N─TM unit with the average oxidation states of the TM ions being 2+, considerably affecting the phase transition behavior upon the release and storage of carrier ions; however, there have been only a few studies on their associated features. Herein, Prussian whites with different HS TM ions were synthesized via coprecipitation and the phase transition behavior controlled by the π electron interaction between the cyanide anions and TM ions during battery operations was investigated. In situ X-ray characterizations reveal that the combined effect of π backdonation in the LS Fe-C unit and π donation in the HS TM-N unit effectively controls the bond length of the TM─C≡N─TM building unit, thus markedly influencing the lattice volume of a series of Prussian white cathodes during the charge/discharge process. This study presents a comprehensive understanding of the structure-property relationship of the Prussian white cathodes involving π electron interactions during battery operations.

Contexts of Drinking- and Alcohol-Related Problems Among Whites and Hispanics on and off the US/Mexico border in California.

BACKGROUND: This paper examines the association between drinking context use by Whites and Hispanics on and off the US/Mexico border and alcohol problems. METHODS: Data come from a household sample of 1209 adults 18 to 39 years of age resident in Imperial County on the California/Mexico border; and Kern, Tulare, and Madera in California's Central Valley. Data were collected on the phone or online and analyzed with an ordinal generalized linear model. RESULTS: The pattern of statistically significant associations between the frequency and the volume of drinking in different contexts varies across problem types. Furthermore, some contexts of drinking are associated with problems in more than one area. For instance, frequency of drinking at bars/pubs is associated with social problems, risky sex, and fights, but not with injuries. Injuries are associated with the frequency of drinking at home alone or with family and at restaurants. Volume of drinking at bars/pubs is also significantly associated with three different contexts: social problems, injury, and fights. But the volume of drinking at the home of friends or relatives is associated with fights only. Border location is an effect modifier, changing the effect of frequency of drinking at bars and pubs from protective to a factor of risk for social problems and fights. CONCLUSION: These results provide support for the social ecology of drinking and micro environmental factors or risk. The effect of border location on frequency of drinking in bars/pubs underlines the importance of the macro environment in problem generation.

Control of Gradient Concentration Prussian White Cathodes for High-Performance Potassium-Ion Batteries.

Owing to their abundant resources and low cost, potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) have become a promising alternative to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, the larger ionic radius and higher mass of K+ propose a challenging issue for finding suitable cathode materials. Prussian whites (PWs) have a rigid open framework and affordable synthesis method, but they suffer quick capacity fade due to lattice volume change and structural instability during K+ insertion/extraction. Here, we prepared controllable gradient concentration KxFeaNibMn1-a-b[Fe(CN)6]y·zH2O particles via a facile coprecipitation process, demonstrating high-performance potassium-ion storage. The high-Mn content in the interior can minimize capacity loss caused by electrochemically inert Ni and achieve a high reversible capacity; meanwhile, the high-FeNi content in the exterior can alleviate the volume change of the core material upon cycling, thus enhancing structural stability. Taking the above synergistic effect, the controllable gradient concentration PWs deliver a high reversible capacity of 109.8 mAh g-1 at 100 mA g-1 and good capacity retention of 77.8% after 200 cycles. The gradient concentration PWs can retain structural integrity and stability during long-term cycling. This work provides a prospective strategy to fabricate PWs with stable structure and excellent electrochemical performance for developing high-performance PIBs.

Divergences in sex ratio at birth in US Census Regions due to racial factors: chronic stress and female foeticide.

OBJECTIVES: The sex ratio of live births (males/total [M/T]) approximates 0.515. Many factors reduce M/T, and these include stress. Antenatal sexing is used for female foeticide in the setting of male offspring preference. Regional differences and latitude gradients in M/T also occur. This study analysed M/T in the US by Census Regions. STUDY DESIGN: This was an ecological study. METHODS: Live births by sex, Census region, state and mother's race were obtained from CDC Wonder (2007-2020). RESULTS: There were 55,453,437 births (M/T 0.5116, 95% confidence interval: 0.5115-0.5118). M/T was Black/African American < Indian/Alaska Native American < White < Asian (P<<0.0001). M/T was significantly lowest in South and highest in West. The South had the lowest proportion of Asian/Pacific Islander births (3.9%) and the highest proportion of Black/African American (21.9%). West has the highest proportion of Asian/Pacific Islander (11.2%) and the lowest proportion of Black/African American births (5.3%). In Asian/Pacific Islander births, M/T significantly rose to third order and fell to sixth order births, unlike the other races that showed a decline from the first order. CONCLUSIONS: Asian M/T may be elevated because of male offspring preference and selective female foeticide. M/T may be depressed in Black and American Indian/Alaskan births due to chronic stress, as race remains the most important factor associated with wealth inequality in the United States. The lower M/T of these two races when compared with White equates to a constant loss of 4.13 and 2.55/1000 male births. The higher Asian M implies a chronic loss of 3.78 females per 1000 births. Both have public health implications.

Drinking and driving among Whites and Hispanics on and off the US/Mexico border in California.

OBJECTIVE: To examine self-reported rates of driving under the influence (DUI) with and without arrest among border and non-border residents in California. METHODS: Data were obtained from 1,209 adults 18 to 39 years of age resident in four counties in California: Imperial on the U.S./Mexico border; and Kern, Tulare, and Madera in California's Central Valley. Households were selected using a list assisted sample. Data were collected on the phone or online and analyzed with a heteroskedastic ordinal generalized linear model. RESULTS: Driving after drinking (11.1% vs. 6.5%; q = 0.04) and the lifetime DUI arrest rates were higher for men than women (10.7% vs. 4%; q = 0.001). In multivariable analysis driving after drinking and DUI arrests were not higher on the border, not higher among Hispanics than Whites, and among Hispanics, the rates were not higher among those located on the border. Income was positively associated with drinking and driving. Impulsivity was positively and significantly associated with both drinking and driving and lifetime DUI arrest. CONCLUSION: The null results suggest that DUI related risk behaviors may not be higher on the border than in other areas of California. There may be health related risk behaviors of higher prevalence in the border population than in other areas, but DUI related behavior may not be one of them.

Favorable outcomes in Hispanic recipients receiving simultaneous pancreas kidney transplantation.

The objective of this study was to compare the long-term outcomes of Hispanic versus white recipients who underwent simultaneous pancreas kidney transplantation (SPKT). This single-center study, conducted from 2003 to 2022, had a median follow-up of 7.5 years. The study included 91 Hispanic and 202 white SPKT recipients. The mean age (44 vs. 46 years), percentage of males (67% vs. 58%), and body mass index (BMI) (25.6 vs. 25.3 kg/m2 ) were similar between the Hispanic and white groups. The Hispanic group had more recipients with type 2 diabetes (38%) compared to the white group (5%, p < .001). The duration of dialysis was longer in Hispanics (640 vs. 473 days, p = .02), and fewer patients received preemptive transplants (10% vs. 29%, p < .01) compared to whites. Hospital length of stay, rates of BK Viremia, and acute rejection episodes within 1 year were similar between the groups. The estimated 5-year kidney, pancreas, and patient survival rates were also similar between the groups, 94%, 81%, and 95% in Hispanics, compared to 90%, 79%, and 90% in whites. Increasing age and longer duration of dialysis were risk factors for death. Although Hispanic recipients had a longer duration on dialysis and fewer preemptive transplants, the survival rates were similar to those of white recipients. However, referring providers and many transplant centers continue to overlook pancreas transplants for appropriately selected patients with type 2 diabetes, particularly among minority populations. As a transplant community, it is crucial that we make efforts to comprehend and tackle these obstacles to transplantation.

Perinatal Characteristics and the Sensitization to Cow Milk, Egg Whites and Wheat in Children up to 3 Years of Age.

Food sensitization in early life identifies children at risk of developing allergic diseases. We investigated the sensitization to cow milk (CM), egg whites, and wheat. Newborns and infants under 3 years of age with available specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) data were identified. A retrospective survey was conducted using data from the Chang Gung Research Database. Perinatal characteristics, such as singleton or multiples in a single pregnancy, parity, meconium staining, maternal age, spontaneous delivery or cesarean section, meconium passage, weeks of gestation, birth length, body weight, head and chest circumferences, and season, were obtained. The data on sIgE were collected, and a logistic regression model was used to determine the odds of sensitization. Positive sIgE for CM and egg whites was more likely to occur in boys than in girls. Early-life egg white and wheat sensitization was associated with increased birth body length and weight. A multivariate analysis indicated an association between egg white sIgE positivity and logarithmic total IgE. Higher total IgE levels and younger age were associated with egg white sensitization, and elevated weight and length at birth were linked to food sensitization, particularly to egg whites and wheat.

Apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype, dementia, and memory performance among Caribbean Hispanic versus US populations.

INTRODUCTION: Apolipoprotein E (APOE) is considered the major susceptibility gene for developing Alzheimer's disease. However, the strength of this risk factor is not well established across diverse Hispanic populations. METHODS: We investigated the associations among APOE genotype, dementia prevalence, and memory performance (immediate and delayed recall scores) in Caribbean Hispanics (CH), African Americans (AA), Hispanic Americans (HA) and non-Hispanic White Americans (NHW). Multivariable logistic regressions and negative binomial regressions were used to examine these associations by subsample. RESULTS: Our final dataset included 13,516 participants (5198 men, 8318 women) across all subsamples, with a mean age of 74.8 years. Prevalence of APOE ε4 allele was similar in CHs, HAs, and NHWs (21.8%-25.4%), but was substantially higher in AAs (33.6%; P < 0.001). APOE ε4 carriers had higher dementia prevalence across all groups. DISCUSSION: APOE ε4 was similarly associated with increased relative risk of dementia and lower memory performance in all subsamples.

Body mass index in early adulthood and transition to first birth: Racial/ethnic and sex differences in the United States NLSY79 Cohort.

Studies show that body mass index during early adulthood ('early BMI') predicts the transition to first birth, but early childbearers tend to be omitted from such studies. This sample selection distorts the prevalence of childlessness, and particularly the racial/ethnic heterogeneity therein, because first birth timing differs by race/ethnicity. We imputed pre-parenthood early BMI for a larger sample, including early childbearers, for the same United States NLSY79 data used in a previous study and simulated differences in the probability of childlessness at age 40+ using posterior distributions based on the Bayesian framework. Obesity was consistently associated with higher childlessness across racial/ethnic groups in both sexes, but only among obese women were first births delayed until after early adulthood. The overall lower childlessness among the underweight women appeared largely driven by Black women. Our findings on the intersectionality of race/ethnicity and sex in the BMI-childlessness pathways encourage research on the underlying mechanisms and on more recent cohorts across different societies.

Common and ethnic-specific genetic determinants of hemoglobin concentration between Taiwanese Han Chinese and European Whites: findings from comparative two-stage genome-wide association studies.

Human iron nutrition is a result of interplays between genetic and environmental factors. However, there has been scarcity of data on the genetic variants associated with altered iron homeostasis and ethnic-specific associations are further lacking. In this study, we compared between the Taiwanese Han Chinese (HC) and European Whites the genetic determinants of hemoglobin (Hb) concentration, a biochemical parameter that in part reflects the amount of functional iron in the body. Through sex-specific two-stage genome-wide association studies (2S-GWAS), we observed the consistent Hb-association of SNPs in TMPRSS6 (chr 22), ABO (chr 9), and PRKCE (chr 2) across sexes in both ethnic groups. Specific to the Taiwanese HC, the Hb-association of AXIN1, together with other loci near the chr 16 alpha-globin gene cluster, was found novel. On the other hand, majority of the Hb-associated SNPs among Europeans were identified along the chr 6 major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region, which has established roles in immune system control. We report here strong Hb-associations of HFE and members of gene families (SLC17; H2A, H2B, H3, H4, H1; TRIM; ZSCAN, ZKSCAN, ZNF; HLA; BTN, OR), numerous SNPs in/nearby CARMIL1, PRRC2A, PSORS1C1, NOTCH4, TSBP1, C6orf15, and distinct associations with non-coding RNA genes. Our findings provide evidence for both common and ethnic-specific genetic determinants of Hb between East Asians and Caucasians. These will help to further our understanding of the iron and/or erythropoiesis physiology in humans and to identify high risk subgroups for iron imbalances - a primary requirement to meet the goal of precision nutrition for optimal health.

Cross-sectional study of food insecurity and medical expenditures by race and ethnicity.

OBJECTIVE: Food insecurity is a risk factor for morbidity and mortality leading to high medical expenditures, but race/ethnicity was used as adjustments in the literature. The study sought to use race/ethnicity as a key predictor to compare racial differences in associations between food insecurity and expenditures of seven health services among non-institutionalized adults. DESIGN: This cross-sectional study used Medical Expenditure Panel Survey that collects information on food insecurity in 2016 (n=24,179) and 2017 (n=22,539). We examined the association between race/ethnicity and food insecurity status and documented the extent to which impacts of food insecurity on medical expenditures varied by race/ethnicity. We fit multivariable models for each racial group, adjusting for states, age, gender, insurance, and education. Adults older than 18 years were included. RESULTS: The results show that blacks experienced an inter-racial disparity in food insecurity whereas Hispanics experienced intra-racial disparity. A higher percentage of blacks (28.7%) reported at least one type of food insecurity (11.2% of whites). Around 20% of blacks reported being worried about running out of food and the corresponding number is 8.4% among whites. Hispanics reported more food insecurity issues than whites. Moreover, food insecurity is positively associated with expenditures on emergency room utilization (99% increase for other races vs. 51% increase for whites) but is negatively associated with dental care utilization (43% decrease for blacks and 44% for whites). Except for Hispanics, prescription expenditure has the most positive association with food insecurity, and food insecure blacks are the only group that did not significantly use home health. CONCLUSION: The study expanded our understanding of food insecurity by investigating how it affected seven types of medical expenditures for each of four racial populations. An interdisciplinary effort is needed to enhance the food supply for minorities. Policy interventions to address intra-racial disparities among Hispanics and inter-racial disparities among African Americans are imperative to close the gap.

Drinking in Mexico by Whites and Hispanics on and off the US/Mexico border in California.

This paper compares drinking patterns of Whites and Hispanics who after crossing the U.S./Mexico border drink and do not drink in Mexico. Data came from a household survey of 1,209 adults 18 to 39 years of age in California. Residence near the US/Mexico border increases the likelihood of drinking in Mexico (AOR = 4.57; 95%CI = 2.45-8.52; p < .001). Hispanics (AOR = 1.91; 95%CI = 1.26-2.90; p < .01), those who drink more frequently (AOR = 1.05; 95%CI = 1.02-1.09; p < .01) and those who drink six or more drinks in day (AOR = 1.91; 95%CI = 1.26-2.29; p < .01) are more likely than Whites and lighter drinkers to report this behavior. Crossing the U.S./Mexico border to drink is influenced by living close to the border, Hispanic ethnicity, and drinking many drinks in a day.