scholarly journals Ascertainment Bias in a Historic Cohort Study of Residents in an Asbestos Manufacturing Community

Author(s):  
Jeremy D. Wortzel ◽  
Douglas J. Wiebe ◽  
Shabnam Elahi ◽  
Atu Agawu ◽  
Frances K. Barg ◽  
...  

This paper describes follow-up for a cohort of 4530 residents living in the asbestos manufacturing community of Ambler, PA, U.S. in 1930. Using re-identified census data, cause and date of death data obtained from the genealogic website Ancestry.com, along with geospatial analysis, we explored relationships among demographic characteristics, occupational, paraoccupational and environmental asbestos exposures. We identified death data for 2430/4530 individuals. Exposure differed significantly according to race, gender, age, and recency of immigration to the U.S. Notably, there was a significant difference in the availability of year of death information for non-white vs. white individuals (odds ratio (OR) = 0.62 p-value < 0.001), females (OR = 0.53, p-value < 0.001), first-generation immigrants (OR = 0.67, p-value = 0.001), second-generation immigrants (OR = 0.31, p-value < 0.001) vs. non-immigrants, individuals aged less than 20 (OR = 0.31 p-value < 0.001) and individuals aged 20 to 59 (OR = 0.63, p-value < 0.001) vs. older individuals. Similarly, the cause of death was less often available for non-white individuals (OR = 0.42, p-value <0.001), first-generation immigrants and (OR = 0.71, p-value = 0.009), second-generation immigrants (OR = 0.49, p-value < 0.001), individuals aged less than 20 (OR = 0.028 p-value < 0.001), and individuals aged 20 to 59 (OR = 0.26, p-value < 0.001). These results identified ascertainment bias that is important to consider in analyses that investigate occupational, para-occupational and environmental asbestos exposure as risk factors for mortality in this historic cohort. While this study attempts to describe methods for assessing itemized asbestos exposure profiles for a community in 1930 using Ancestry.com and other publicly accessible databases, it also highlights how historic cohort studies likely underestimate the impact of asbestos exposure on vulnerable populations. Future work will aim to assess mortality patterns in this cohort.

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes S. Kunz

Abstract In this study, I provide evidence that the educational achievement of second- generation immigrants in German-speaking Switzerland is greater than in Germany. The impact of the first-generation immigrants’ destination decision on their offspring’s educational achievement seems to be much more important than has been recognized by the existing literature. I identify the test score gap between these students that cannot be explained by differences in individual and family characteristics. Moreover, I show how this gap evolves over the test score distribution and how the least favorably endowed students fare. My results suggest that the educational system of Switzerland, relative to the German system, enhances the performance of immigrants’ children substantially. This disparity is largest when conditioning on the language spoken at home, and prevails even when comparing only students whose parents migrated from the same country of origin.


2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 156-174
Author(s):  
Sungil Han ◽  
Ha-Neul Yim ◽  
Richard Hernandez ◽  
Jon Maskály

As the number of immigrants in the United States grows, the importance of their confidence in the police cannot be understated. This article simultaneously examines the impact of both generational and ethnic differences among immigrants on their confidence in the police. Using a sample of U.S. residents from the World Value Survey (Wave 6, N = 2,232), the results suggest that first-generation immigrants have less confidence in the police than both nonimmigrants and second-generation immigrants. The results also suggest a generational and ethnic effect with second-generation immigrants of Hispanic/Latino origin reporting a lower level of confidence in the police than other ethnic immigrant groups. The importance of these findings is discussed in light of both scholarly and policy implications.


2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Bui ◽  
David P Farrington

Purpose – Studies examining immigrant generational status and violence have supported differences in the prevalence of violence between these groups. The purpose of this paper is to measure relevant risk factors for violence to focus on whether negative perceptions may contribute to understanding the between-generations differences in violence. Based on the literature, it is theorised that pro-violence attitudes would be related to and be higher in second-generation immigrants than first-generation immigrants, and that negative perceptions would mediate the relationship between pro-violence attitudes and violence. Design/methodology/approach – Data to answer the study’s key questions were taken from the 2010-2011 UK citizenship survey, where only the main sample was analysed. Findings – The findings reveal that first-generation immigrants have a higher prevalence of pro-violence attitudes than the native population. Originality/value – This suggests that there is an intergenerational transmission in violent attitudes, and this is a risk factor for actual violence in second-generation immigrants.


2017 ◽  
Vol 77 (4) ◽  
pp. 971-1006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Santiago Pérez

I study the mobility and economic outcomes of European immigrants and their children in nineteenth-century Argentina, the second largest destination country during the Age of Mass Migration. I use new data linking males across censuses and passenger lists of arrivals to Buenos Aires. First-generation immigrants experienced faster occupational upgrading than natives. Occupational mobility was substantial relative to Europe; immigrants holding unskilled occupations upon arrival experienced high rates of occupational upgrading. Second-generation immigrants outperformed the sons of natives in terms of literacy, occupational status and access to property, and experienced higher rates of intergenerational mobility out of unskilled occupations.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Pozza ◽  
Anna Coluccia ◽  
Silvia Casale ◽  
Donatella Marazziti ◽  
Federico Mucci ◽  
...  

Abstract Background. Vulnerability factors for obsessive-compulsive (OC) features in immigrant youth are under-studied. The migration process can have a highly stressful impact on the psychological wellbeing of the individual and it may represent a precipitating factor for different forms of psychopathology. Little is known about the occurrence of OC traits. Unlike other European countries, immigration to Italy is a recent phenomenon. In community children/early adolescents, this study compared OC general symptoms/subtypes and vulnerability cognitive factors amongst Italian natives, first- and second-generation immigrants, and examined whether such vulnerability factors moderate the relation between immigrant status and OC symptoms/subtypes, beyond socio-demographic/clinical variables. Methods. Two hundred sixty-eight children/early adolescents (99 natives, 82 and 87 first- and second-generation immigrants respectively) completed the Obsessive Belief Questionnaire-Child Version, Obsessive Compulsive Inventory-Child Version, Spence’s Children Anxiety Scale, Children’s Depression Inventory.Results. As compared with the other groups, first-generation immigrants had the highest levels of perfectionism and threat overestimation. Both first- and second-generation immigrants had higher doubting – checking traits than natives. First-generation immigrants with higher threat overestimation showed lower obsessing traits. Conclusions. Community screening programs for OC features should consider immigrant youth as a vulnerable group and, potentially, the target of an early intervention.


2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 370-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antje Röder ◽  
Peter Mühlau

This study examines whether the confidence of immigrants in European countries in criminal justice institutions can be explained by two counteracting processes: expectations formed in the country of origin and discrimination experienced in the residence country. The study draws on the pooled waves of the European Social Survey (2002–8), comparing first- and second-generation immigrants from 66 countries of origin with natives in 21 residence countries. Multi-level regressions are employed to examine the relationship between confidence in institutions and proxy variables for the processes under study. The data strongly support the hypothesis that the high confidence of first-generation immigrants can be explained by frames of reference formed in the country of origin. Some, but limited, support is also found for the impact of discrimination.


Gut ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. gutjnl-2020-321798
Author(s):  
Manasi Agrawal ◽  
Giulia Corn ◽  
Sarita Shrestha ◽  
Nete Munk Nielsen ◽  
Morten Frisch ◽  
...  

ObjectiveOur objective was to estimate the relative risk of IBD among first-generation and second-generation immigrants in Denmark compared with native Danes.DesignUsing national registries, we established a cohort of Danish residents between 1977 and 2018. Cohort members with known country of birth were followed for Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) diagnoses. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) served as measures of relative risk and were calculated by log-linear Poisson regression, using rates among native Danes as reference, stratified by IBD risk in parental country of birth, and among first-generation immigrants by age at immigration and duration of stay in Denmark.ResultsAmong 8.7 million Danes, 4156 first-generation and 898 second-generation immigrants were diagnosed with CD or UC. Overall, comparing first-generation immigrants with native Danes, the IRR was 0.80 (95% CI 0.76 to 0.84) for CD and 0.74 (95% CI 0.71 to 0.77) for UC. The IRR of IBD increased with ≥20 years stay in Denmark. The IRR of CD increased with immigration at ≥40 years of age. Comparing second-generation immigrants with native Danes, the IRR of IBD was 0.97 (95% CI 0.91 to 1.04). There was significant interaction with sex, with higher IRR of IBD in male than in female immigrants.ConclusionRelative to native Danish men and women, IBD risk among first-generation immigrants was lower, reflected the risk in their parental country of birth and increased with ≥20 years stay in Denmark. For second-generation immigrants, relative risk of IBD was lower only among women. These complex patterns suggest the role of environmental IBD risk factors.


2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-95
Author(s):  
Anna E. Heino ◽  
Mika Gissler ◽  
Maili Malin ◽  
Heini VÄisÄnen

Aims: Understanding the differences in reproductive-health behaviours between native and migrant populations helps provide good reproductive-health services. We investigate the differences in induced abortion rates, pregnancy histories and use of contraceptives between native and migrant populations in Finland. Methods: The Finnish Register on Induced Abortions was linked with Population Register data from years 2001–2014 to identify first- and second-generation immigrants. The data included 142,708 induced abortions. Results: Abortion and contraceptive use varied between women of Finnish and foreign origins. Native women had a lower abortion rate than women born abroad. Women born in Somalia and India had the highest likelihood for having an abortion shortly after birth. The highest risk for having an abortion soon after previous induced abortion was among women born in Iran, Iraq, Somalia and former Yugoslavia. The risk for having more than two induced abortions was the highest for women born in Russia/the former Soviet Union and Estonia. Second-generation immigrants had a lower abortion rate than first-generation immigrants. Lack of contraceptive use prior to abortion was more common among women born abroad. Conclusion: There were differences in pregnancy histories and in the use of reliable contraceptive methods before an induced abortion by country of birth. The higher likelihood for abortion after a recent birth among first-generation immigrants highlights the need for more targeted counselling immediately after childbirth. Although the abortion rate is lower among second-generation immigrants, the neglect of contraceptive use calls for additional education in sexual and reproductive health.


Author(s):  
Thomas Gries ◽  
Margarete Redlin ◽  
Moonum Zehra

AbstractUsing data from the German Socio-Economic Panel for 1984–2018, we analyze the intergenerational education mobility of immigrants in Germany by identifying the determinants of differences in educational stocks for first- and second-generation immigrants in comparison to individuals without a migration background. Our results show that on average, first-generation immigrants have fewer years of schooling than native-born Germans and have a disproportionate share of lower educational qualifications. This gap is strongly driven by age at immigration, with immigration age and education revealing a nonlinear relationship. While the gap is relatively small among individuals who migrate at a young age, integrating in the school system at secondary school age leads to large disadvantages. Examining the educational mobility of immigrants in Germany, we identify an inter-generational catch-up in education. The gap in education between immigrants and natives is reduced for the second generation. Finally, we find that country of origin differences can account for much of the education gap. While immigrants with an ethnic background closer to the German language and culture show the best education outcomes, immigrants from Turkey, Italy, and other southern European countries and especially the group of war refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and other MENA countries, have the lowest educational attainment.


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