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Abstract: The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has been growing substantially in the US in recent years. Such a growth in CAM use coincides with an ongoing increase in the proportion of the foreign-born population in the US. The main objective of this study is to examine the relation between acculturation and the use of CAM therapies among immigrants. Data from a CAM supplement to the 2002 National Health Interview Survey were analyzed to estimate the effects of acculturation on the likelihood of using different CAM therapies over the past 12 months prior to the survey. The results suggest that the level of acculturation—as measured by nativity/length of stay in the US and language of interview—is strongly associated with CAM use. As immigrants stay longer in the US or as their use of English becomes more proficient, the likelihood that they use CAM therapies increases as well, and it gradually approaches the level of CAM use by native-born Americans. Moreover, this relation between acculturation and CAM use generally persists even after the effects of socioeconomic status, health insurance coverage, self-reported health status, and other demographic variables have all been taken into consideration. The substantially lower rates of CAM use by recent immigrants and its possible causes warrant further research. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Physical activity (PA) has been routinely linked to lower all-cause mortality, yet extant research in the United States is primarily based on nonrepresentative samples. Evidence is scant on the relative and independent merits of leisure-time (LTPA) versus non-leisure-time (NLTPA) activities and how the PA-mortality link may vary across racial-ethnic-gender groups., Methods: Data were from Health and Retirement Study which began in 1992 collecting data on individuals aged 51-61 years who were subsequently surveyed once every 2 years. The current study assessed group-specific effects of LTPA and NLTPA measured in 1992 on mortality that occurred during the 1992-2008 follow-up period. Cox proportional hazard analyses were performed to examine the PA-mortality link., Results: Net of a wide range of controls, both LTPA and NLTPA showed a gradient negative relation with mortality. No gender-PA interaction effects were evident. Some interaction effects of PA with race-ethnicity were found but they were weak and inconsistent. The mortality reduction effects of PA seemed robust across racial-ethnic-gender groups., Conclusions: Regardless of personal background, PA is a major health promoting factor and should be encouraged in aging populations. More research is needed to assess relative merits of different types and domains of PA.

In this study we seek to assess recent trends in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use based on a comparative analysis of data from the 2002 and 2007 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). The findings suggest that CAM use, in particular the use of provider-based CAM therapies such as chiropractic care, massage, and acupuncture, have grown significantly in the U.S. This growth was more pronounced among non-Hispanic Whites than among racial and ethnic minorities, increasing an already existing White-minority gap in CAM use. Findings from this study also reveal that CAM use becomes more likely when access to conventional care has been restricted. In both 2002 and 2007, having unmet needs in medical care or having delayed care due to cost were associated with a higher chance of CAM use.

Background: Racial and ethnic disparities in awareness of genetic testing for cancer risk are substantial., Purpose: This study assesses the relative importance of contributing factors to gaps in awareness of genetic testing for cancer risk across racial and ethnic groups., Methods: Data from the 2005 National Health Interview Survey (N=25,364) were analyzed in 2009 to evaluate the contribution of demographic factors, SES, health status, nativity/length of residency in the U.S., personal/family history of cancer, and perceived cancer risk to racial and ethnic disparities in genetic testing awareness for cancer risk. The contribution of each factor was assessed using the Fairlie decomposition technique., Results: About 48% of non-Hispanic whites reported that they had heard about genetic testing, followed by 31% of blacks, 28% of Asians, and 19% of Hispanics. Education and nativity/length of residency in the U.S. explained 26% and 30% of the gap between whites and Hispanics, respectively. Education accounted for 22% of the white-black gap, with residential region explaining another 11%. Nativity/length of residency in the U.S. explained 51% of the white-Asian gap., Conclusions: The relative importance of factors contributing to racial and ethnic disparities in genetic testing awareness is specific to the particular groups under comparison. Diverse, culturally competent approaches are needed to improve awareness for different racial and ethnic groups.