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AJPH First Look, published online ahead of print Mar 29, 2007
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AJPH.2005.071472v1
97/5/919    most recent
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May 2007, Vol 97, No. 5 | American Journal of Public Health 919-925
© 2007 American Public Health Association
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2005.071472

RESEARCH AND PRACTICE

The Latino Paradox in Neighborhood Context: The Case of Asthma and Other Respiratory Conditions

Kathleen A. Cagney, PhD, Christopher R. Browning, PhD and Danielle M. Wallace, MA

Kathleen A. Cagney is with the Departments of Health Studies and Comparative Human Development, University of Chicago, Chicago, Ill. Christopher R. Browning is with the Department of Sociology, Ohio State University, Columbus. Danielle M. Wallace is with the Department of Sociology, University of Chicago, Chicago.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Kathleen A. Cagney, Department of Health Studies, The University of Chicago, 5841 South Maryland Ave., MC 2007, Chicago, IL 60637 (e-mail: k-cagney{at}uchicago.edu).

Objectives. Evidence indicates that foreign-born Latinos have a health advantage compared with US-born persons of the same socioeconomic status. An explanation for this paradox has remained elusive. We examined the extent to which this paradox exists for the prevalence of asthma and other respiratory conditions. We then explored the role of neighborhood social context in understanding any observed advantage. We invoked theories of social organization, collective efficacy, and the urban ethnic enclave.

Methods. We combined data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods Community Survey with 2 other data sources and used hierarchical generalized linear modeling techniques.

Results. We found a distinctly graded effect for asthma and other breathing problems among foreign-born Latinos, depending on community composition. Foreign-born Latinos embedded in a neighborhood that had a high percentage of foreign-born residents experienced a significantly lower prevalence of asthma and other breathing problems; those in communities that had a low percentage of foreign-born residents had the highest prevalence overall (even when compared with African Americans).

Conclusions. Foreign-born Latinos have a respiratory health advantage only in enclave-like settings. Contexts such as these may provide the cohesiveness critical for effective prevention.






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