Abstract C086: The effect of length of residence in the US on risk of developing chronic disease in West African male immigrants

Background African immigrants represent one of the fastest growing groups of immigrants in the US, resulting in increased diversity of Blacks in the US. Therefore, there is a growing need to assess the healthcare needs and practices of this population. The main public health concern has been on infectious disease but priority should also focus on chronic disease. Specifically, the literature has yet to provide consistent results regarding the “healthy immigrant effect”, specifically that immigrants are in relatively better health on arrival before their health converges with native-born levels after time. Using the data collected by the Prostate Cancer Transatlantic Consortium (CaPTC), this study explores chronic disease history and healthy behaviors of male immigrants from West Africa with length of residence in the US. Methods A study questionnaire was used to collect data on West African (WA) Black men residing in Nigeria, Cameroon, and the United States. Data from 709 respondents, Black men between the ages of 35-70 years, recruited from community settings, was collected. Variables analyzed included age, education level, income, smoking and alcohol use, weight, height, physical activity levels, country of birth, country of residence, years since immigration, chronic disease history, and health insurance status. Descriptive analysis was used to determine the frequency of each condition among participants. Results There were 37 respondents, WA males, residing in the US; 26 born in Cameroon, 10 born in Nigeria, 1 born in Sierra Leone, 1 born in Ghana. The average age was 46.2 years and the average length of residency was 13.9 years. Participants were placed in two groups: length of residence in the US of less than or equal to 10 years (LT10Y) and greater than 10 years (GT10Y). This study focused on the most common chronic diseases in the US: high blood pressure (HB), high cholesterol (HC), diabetes (D), stroke/transient ischemic attack (ST), COPD, Alzheimer’s (AZ), and arthritis (AT). Although there was no statistical significant differences between participants who lived greater than 10 years in the US compared to those who resided 10 years or less, there was practical differences. For example, 39% in the LT10Y group had been diagnosed with HBP versus 42% in the GT10Y group. With larger sample size, it is likely that there may be statistical differences. There was statistical significant differences in HC diagnosis with 5% in LT10Y and 22.2% in GT10Y. The GT10Y group showed decreased alcohol use, increased frequency of physical activity, and frequent annual physician visits and had higher income and education level. Conclusion Based on our results, we found length of stay of WA Black males in the US to impact HC diagnosis, alcohol use, physical activity, and physician visits. The “healthy immigrant” phenomenon is likely to be moderated by several factors and need to be studied more among African immigrants. Citation Format: Adaora Ezeani, Ernest Kaninjing, Folakemi Odedina, Catherine Badejo, Anthonia Sowunmi, Omolara Fatiregun, Ayo Salako, A. A. Popoola, Mohammed Faruk, Emeka Iweala, Iya Bassey, Chidiebere Ogo, O. P. Oluwole, H. A Nggada, Paul Jibrin, Oluwole Kukoyi, Ifeoma Okoye, Abidemi Omonisi, Iheanyi Okpala, Lasebikan Nwamaka, A. Adeniji, Nissa Askins, Ruth Agaba, Oluwaseyi Adeniji. The effect of length of residence in the US on risk of developing chronic disease in West African male immigrants [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Twelfth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2019 Sep 20-23; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl_2):Abstract nr C086.