Browsing by Subject "Mexican American"
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Item Advance Directives Planning Among Mexican-Americans in Dallas-Fort Worth(2005-05-01) Santiago, Carmen; Lurie, Sue; Gonzalez, Adela; Rene, AntonioSantiago, Carmen C., Advance Directives Planning Among Mexican-American in Dallas Fort Worth. Doctor of Public Health (Social and Behavioral Sciences), May 2005, 133 pp., bibliography, 33 titles. This qualitative study explored the knowledge base of advance directives planning among Mexican-Americans in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. In addition, the study explored areas that influenced their willingness to engage in advance directives and their preferences related to family collective decision-making. Two focus groups, representing two different populations were conducted. One focus group represented second generation Mexican-Americans, 65 years old and older, both men and women that were hospitalized or participated in home health care programs between January 2004 and January 2005. The second focus group consisted of Mexican-Americans, 18 years and older who were family members or caregivers of sick elders in the same time frame. Questions utilized to gather the knowledge and beliefs of the focus group participants, were based on a previous study by Dr. Morrison and Dr. Meir conducted in New York. Participant’s responses were analyzed using NVIVO software. Findings indicated a lack of knowledge of advance directives and confusion about state wills and living wills among Mexian-Americans in Dallas-Fort Worth. A majority of the focus group participants expressed a preference for their older children to make the decisions of their end of life care. This was due to a belief that their child is better educated and could make the right decision. Participants also revealed the importance of a family collective decision. This belief in family unity kept them from excluding members from the decision of end of life care. Another interesting finding from this study was a majority of the participants had already made funeral plans such as arranging for the lot to be buried in and funeral service pre-paid, but had not considered advance care directives. According to both groups of participants, arranging for their funeral service gave them a peace of mind and dignity since they had established where they will be interred. These findings suggested that the Mexican-American population needs to be informed about this legal process. Mexican-Americans need to be aware that the State provides ways to obtain this documentation at no cost. Health care providers should be involved in the education about advance directives and encourage their patients to learn more and consider obtaining one. Further research studying Mexican American knowledge and beliefs, at state level and a comparison among states should be explored. Keywords; advance directives, decision making, end of life, ethical issuesItem Association of Area Deprivation Index and hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and Obesity: A Cross-Sectional Study of the HABS-HD Cohort(Sage Publications, 2023-06-26) Vintimilla, Raul; Seyedahmadi, Armin; Hall, James R.; Johnson, Leigh A.; O'Bryant, Sid E.; Team, HABS-HD StudyObjective: This study aims to investigate the association between neighborhood deprivation and the prevalence of major cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors (hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and obesity) in a Mexican American (MA) population compared to NonHispanic Whites (NHW). Method: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted to include 1,867 subjects (971 MA and 896 NHW). Participants underwent a clinical interview, neuropsychological exam battery, functional examination, MRI of the head, amyloid PET scan, and blood draw for clinical and biomarker analysis. We use the Area Deprivation Index (ADI) Model to assign an ADI score to participants based on their neighborhoods. Descriptive, Cochran-Armitage test for trend, and odds ratio statistical analysis were applied. Results: Our results suggest that NHW had higher odds of having HTN, DM, and obesity in the most deprived neighborhoods, while MA showed no increased odds. The study also found that neighborhood deprivation contributed to diabetes in both MA and NHW and was associated with obesity in NHW. Conclusions: These findings highlighted the importance of addressing both individual and societal factors in efforts to reduce cardiovascular risk. Future research should explore the relationship between socio-economic status and cardiovascular risk in more detail to inform the development of targeted interventions.Item DIETARY PATTERNS AMONG DIABETIC AND NON-DIABETIC MEXICAN AMERICAN WOMEN(2013-04-12) Alexander, ShanePurpose: Targeting ethnic disparities in diabetes mellitus (DM) prevalence has become a major focus of disease prevention. In the U.S., 13.3% of Mexican Americans have been diagnosed with DM - a rate 1.9 times higher than among non-Hispanic whites. Recent literature has focused on cultural perceptions and behaviors contributing to risk factors that lead to DM. The goal of this pilot study was to examine what type of information was given by health care providers, as well as obtain self-reported diabetic care activities among Mexican American women. Additionally, this study sought to compare the dietary patterns of diabetics and non-diabetics. Methods: Data was analyzed from 47 Mexican American women (diabetic n=24; non-diabetic n=23) recruited through the Health and Aging Brain Study among Latino Elders (HABLE), a translational research study that examines factors related to aging among Hispanics. Variables included age, food frequency questionnaire, HbA1c levels, blood glucose, BMI, and a summary of diabetes self-care activity measures. A one-way ANOVA was conducted to examine the difference in nutritional intake according to diabetic status. Results: The average age of onset of a DM diagnosis was 48 years old. Diabetics reported their health care providers advised them to: follow a healthy eating plan (94%), reduce number of calories (95%), follow a complex carbohydrate diet (74%), follow a diet high in fiber (74%), eat 5 servings of fruit and vegetables daily (63%), and lose weight (80%). Further examination showed that 50% had uncontrolled HbA1c (X=8.7) and blood glucose levels (X=170). Significant elevations in BMI [F(1,44)=5.4, p=0.02] and daily caloric intake [F(1,45)=4.2, p=0.04] were found in diabetic women compared to non-diabetic participants. No significant difference was found in daily intake of carbohydrates, protein, and total fat. Conclusions: The results suggest that diabetic women have a higher BMI and daily caloric intake than non-diabetic women despite reporting advice given from their health care providers regarding dietary patterns. This may be due to several reasons. First, it is possible that participants have changed their eating habits, though not enough to achieve glycemic control. Secondly, it is possible that more in depth dietary intervention or nutritional counseling is needed. Limitations include small sample size. More research into dietary patterns of diabetics is needed to design culturally appropriate interventions.Item Meta-analysis: Effects of Opuntia Species(2000-05-01) Garcia, Anna R.; John Licciardone; Gilbert Ramirez; FongGarcia, Anna R., Meta-analysis: Effects of Opuntia species. Master of Public Health (Epidemiology), May, 2000, 73 pp., 10 tables, 10 figures, references, 62 titles. The Mexican American population is more susceptible to diabetes mellitus due to a number of risk factors. The earliest recorded treatments for diabetes mellitus involved the use of natural plants. Opuntia species are any member of the genus Opuntia of Cactus family and who are native to the Western Hemisphere. In order to determine the efficacy of Opuntia species as a hypoglycemic agent in non-insulin dependent diabetics, a meta-analysis was conducted to analyze the identified studies. In addition, insulin and the presence of a dose-response relationship upon ingestion of Opuntia were investigated. A statistically significant reduction in serum glucose was found after the ingestion of 500 grams of Opuntia species. Additional studies are needed to determine the mechanism of hypoglycemic action and to further investigate the properties of Opuntia species.Item THE LINK BETWEEN POTASSIUM AND MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT IN MEXICAN AMERICANS(2013-04-12) Rohlfing, GeoffreyPurpose: Assessing electrolytes is a cornerstone of the geriatric primary care visit. Research suggests that potassium may be linked to Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and cognitive functioning; however, this link has not been investigated in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) a prodromal category to AD. The purpose of this study was to examine the link between serum electrolytes and diagnosis of MCI. Methods: Data on a total of 473 participants (278 non-Hispanic white and 195 Mexican American) from Project FRONTIER were analyzed. Each participant underwent an interview (i.e. medical history, medications, health behaviors), neuropsychological testing, blood draw, and medical examination, and informant interviews. Weekly consensus reviews were conducted reviewing the data and diagnoses of MCI assigned according to published criteria by clinical experts. Participants classified as cognitively normal control (NC) performed within normal limits on all psychometric assessment. Serum electrolytes included in this study were sodium, chloride, carbon dioxide, and potassium. Age and Education were entered into the models as co-variates. Logistic regression was used to assess the risk of MCI diagnosis. Analysis was split by ethnicity. Results: For Mexican Americans, the results of this study indicated that serum potassium levels significantly increased the risk of diagnosis of MCI (odds ratio [OR]= 3.2, 95% CI=1.2 to 8.2). No other electrolytes were found to significantly increase risk for MCI. For non-Hispanic whites, age and education alone increased risk for MCI diagnosis. No electrolytes were found to increase risk for MCI diagnosis for this ethnic group. Conclusions: Our findings suggested a link between serum potassium levels and a diagnosis of MCI for Mexican Americans. The results of this study support previous research which has suggested that the risk factors for MCI may vary by ethnicity. Additional work is needed to cross-validate these findings and examine their utility in designing treatment protocols.Item Top Alzheimer's disease risk allele frequencies differ in HABS-HD Mexican- versus Non-Hispanic White Americans(John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2024-01-02) Housini, Mohammad; Zhou, Zhengyang; Gutierrez, John; Rao, Sumedha; Jomaa, Rodwan; Subasinghe, Kumudu; Reid, Danielle M.; Silzer, Talisa; Phillips, Nicole; O'Bryant, Sid E.; Barber, Robert C.; Team, HABS-HD StudyINTRODUCTION: Here we evaluate frequencies of the top 10 Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk alleles for late-onset AD in Mexican American (MA) and non-Hispanic White (NHW) American participants enrolled in the Health and Aging Brain Study-Health Disparities Study cohort. METHODS: Using DNA extracted from this community-based diverse population, we calculated the genotype frequencies in each population to determine whether a significant difference is detected between the different ethnicities. DNA genotyping was performed per manufacturers' protocols. RESULTS: Allele and genotype frequencies for 9 of the 11 single nucleotide polymorphisms (two apolipoprotein E variants, CR1, BIN1, DRB1, NYAP1, PTK2B, FERMT2, and ABCA7) differed significantly between MAs and NHWs. DISCUSSION: The significant differences in frequencies of top AD risk alleles observed here across MAs and NHWs suggest that ethnicity-specific genetic risks for AD exist. Given our results, we are advancing additional projects to further elucidate ethnicity-specific differences in AD.Item VIGOROUS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ASSOCIATED WITH HIGHER SCORES ON THE MMSE IN AN OLDER HISPANIC MEXICAN AMERICAN POPULATION: A HEALTH & AGING BRAIN AMONG LATINO ELDERS (HABLE) STUDY(2014-03) Schwarzkopf, Heinz; Edwards, Melissa; Johnson, Leigh A.Background: Physical activity has been shown to delay the onset and effects of cognitive decline, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in the elderly. Few studies have evaluated the effects of physical activity among Hispanic Mexican Americans, a minority segment of the population, which has been shown to be less active when compared to non-Hispanic Whites. This study serves to evaluate the relationship between physical activity and cognition among Hispanic Mexican American, adults and elders Methods: Preliminary data was analyzed on 19 Hispanic Mexican Americans enrolled in the Health and Aging Brain Study among Latino Elders (HABLE), a recently developed community-based study of factors related to aging. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was utilized to assess physical activity and global cognitive functioning was evaluated with the Mini Mental Status Exam (MMSE). Separate linear regressions were conducted to analyze the relationship between hours spent engaging in either vigorous, moderate, or walking forms of physical activity and global cognitive functioning. Covariates included age, gender, education and language of test administration. Results: The results indicated that level of physical activity among Hispanic Mexican Americans differentially impacted cognitive functioning. Among those in the sample who engaged in vigorous activity, there was a significant relationship on global cognition such that increased hours of vigorous activity was positively related to global cognition (p=0.04). There was no significant association found between hours of moderate (p=0.74) or walking (p=0.70) physical activity and cognition. Conclusions: This study demonstrated the impact of level of physical activity on cognitive functioning among Hispanic Mexican Americans. . Vigorous physical activity was significantly related to better cognition among Hispanic Mexican Americans and more research is needed to further explore this relationship.