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RAND:
The good health habits of adolescent Asian immigrants improve with each generation born in the United States, but health habits among adolescent Latino immigrants generally remain poor or become worse in succeeding generations, according to a RAND Corporation study issued today.
In a study of California adolescents, the nonprofit research organization found that behaviors designed to prevent health problems --- such as engaging in physical activity and using bicycle helmets, seat belts and sunscreen --- increased among the first two generations of Asians born in the United States.
While the nutritional habits of immigrant Latino teens were better than those of whites, those behaviors grew worse over time, according to the study published online by the American Journal of Public Health.
In 2000, one in five children in the United States was an immigrant or born to immigrants, yet relatively little is know about the preventive health behaviors of this group, according to researchers.
The RAND Health study is the first to compare an array of health habits across generations for adolescents from the nation's two largest immigrant groups.
Researchers say the nutritional trends are particularly troubling because they may contribute to high rates of obesity seen among the Latino community.
Allen said more research is needed to compare family, school and community influences on health behaviors to better understand why there are differences among racial and ethnic groups with high immigrant populations, even after considering differences in socioeconomic status.
RAND Health is the nation's largest independent health policy research program, with a broad research portfolio that focuses on health care quality, costs and delivery, among other topics.
Posted on December 7, 2006 07:24 PM
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