Alice Cepeda1, Kathryn M Nowotny2, Jessica Frankeberger1, Jarron M Saint Onge3, Avelardo Valdez1. 1. 1 Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. 2. 2 Department of Sociology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA. 3. 3 Departments of Sociology and Health Policy and Management, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Little research has examined the long-term health consequences of gang affiliation among Mexican Americans. The objectives of this study were to (1) measure biological indicators of cardiovascular and metabolic risk, as well as prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), in a sample of Mexican American men aged 25-40 who were affiliated with gangs as adolescents and (2) compare those indicators with a comparable national sample of Latino men. METHODS: Using bivariate analyses, we compared blood pressure, body mass index, 4 metabolic and cardiovascular indicators, and 4 infections for 179 Mexican American formerly gang-affiliated men in San Antonio, Texas, and 155 Mexican American men from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We used multivariate models to estimate adjusted risk scores for each sample controlling for age, marital status, and education. RESULTS: Compared with men in the national sample, the unadjusted results showed that men in the gang-affiliated sample had significantly higher mean systolic blood pressure (125.6 vs 120.0 mm Hg, P = .001), diastolic blood pressure (81.4 vs 71.1 mm Hg, P < .001), and C-reactive protein (5.9 vs 3.6 mg/L, P = .04), and a significantly lower mean total cholesterol (164.2 vs 205.5 mg/dL, P < .001) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (91.1 vs 120.1 mg/dL, P < .001). Compared with men in the national sample, more men in the gang-affiliated sample had herpes simplex virus type 2 (64/174 [36.8%] vs 18/147 [12.2%], P < .001), chlamydia (10/176 [5.7%] vs 1/135 [0.7%], P = .02), and hepatitis C virus (85/173 [49.1%] vs 0, P < .001). The gang-affiliated sample had a significantly higher adjusted risk score than the national sample (1.5 vs 1.1, P = .003). CONCLUSIONS: Gang-affiliated Mexican American men had significant disparities in biological risk indicators and STIs, which can lead to long-term health implications and highlight the need for tailored prevention strategies. Long-term exposure to psychosocial stressors and subsequent systemic inflammation may also increase the risk for physiological and psychological dysregulation and detrimental chronic health conditions in this population.
OBJECTIVES: Little research has examined the long-term health consequences of gang affiliation among Mexican Americans. The objectives of this study were to (1) measure biological indicators of cardiovascular and metabolic risk, as well as prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), in a sample of Mexican American men aged 25-40 who were affiliated with gangs as adolescents and (2) compare those indicators with a comparable national sample of Latino men. METHODS: Using bivariate analyses, we compared blood pressure, body mass index, 4 metabolic and cardiovascular indicators, and 4 infections for 179 Mexican American formerly gang-affiliated men in San Antonio, Texas, and 155 Mexican American men from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We used multivariate models to estimate adjusted risk scores for each sample controlling for age, marital status, and education. RESULTS: Compared with men in the national sample, the unadjusted results showed that men in the gang-affiliated sample had significantly higher mean systolic blood pressure (125.6 vs 120.0 mm Hg, P = .001), diastolic blood pressure (81.4 vs 71.1 mm Hg, P < .001), and C-reactive protein (5.9 vs 3.6 mg/L, P = .04), and a significantly lower mean total cholesterol (164.2 vs 205.5 mg/dL, P < .001) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (91.1 vs 120.1 mg/dL, P < .001). Compared with men in the national sample, more men in the gang-affiliated sample had herpes simplex virus type 2 (64/174 [36.8%] vs 18/147 [12.2%], P < .001), chlamydia (10/176 [5.7%] vs 1/135 [0.7%], P = .02), and hepatitis C virus (85/173 [49.1%] vs 0, P < .001). The gang-affiliated sample had a significantly higher adjusted risk score than the national sample (1.5 vs 1.1, P = .003). CONCLUSIONS: Gang-affiliated Mexican American men had significant disparities in biological risk indicators and STIs, which can lead to long-term health implications and highlight the need for tailored prevention strategies. Long-term exposure to psychosocial stressors and subsequent systemic inflammation may also increase the risk for physiological and psychological dysregulation and detrimental chronic health conditions in this population.
Authors: Elizabeth B Windgassen; Luciana Funtowicz; Tisha N Lunsford; Lucinda A Harris; Sharon L Mulvagh Journal: Postgrad Med Date: 2011-01 Impact factor: 3.840
Authors: Thomas G Pickering; John E Hall; Lawrence J Appel; Bonita E Falkner; John Graves; Martha N Hill; Daniel W Jones; Theodore Kurtz; Sheldon G Sheps; Edward J Roccella Journal: Circulation Date: 2005-02-08 Impact factor: 29.690
Authors: Heather H McClure; J Josh Snodgrass; Charles R Martinez; J Mark Eddy; Roberto A Jiménez; Laura E Isiordia Journal: Am J Hum Biol Date: 2010 May-Jun Impact factor: 1.937
Authors: Nickolas D Zaller; David H Cloud; Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein; Sarah Martino; Benjamin Bouvier; Brad Brockmann Journal: Health Justice Date: 2017-03-03