Academic literature on the topic 'American-born Filipino women'

This study examines racial/ethnic, nativity, and sociodemographic variations in the prevalence of maternal hypertension in the United States. The 2014-2015 national birth cohort data (N = 7,966,573) were modeled by logistic regression to derive unadjusted and adjusted differentials in maternal hypertension consisting of both pregnancy-related hypertension and chronic hypertension. Substantial racial/ethnic differences existed, with prevalence of maternal hypertension ranging from 2.2% for Chinese and 2.9% for Vietnamese women to 8.9% for American Indians/Alaska Natives (AIANs) and 9.8% for non-Hispanic blacks. Compared with Chinese women, women in all other ethnic groups had significantly higher risks of maternal hypertension, with Filipinos, non-Hispanic blacks, and AIANs showing 2.0 to 2.9 times higher adjusted odds. Immigrant women in most racial/ethnic groups had lower rates of maternal hypertension than the US-born, with prevalence ranging from 1.9% for Chinese immigrants to 10.3% for US-born blacks. Increasing maternal age, lower education, US-born status, nonmetropolitan residence, prepregnancy obesity, excess weight gain during pregnancy, and gestational diabetes were other important risk factors. AIANs, non-Hispanic whites, blacks, Puerto Ricans, and some Asian/Pacific Islander subgroups were at substantially higher risk of maternal hypertension. Ethnicity, nativity status, older maternal age, and prepregnancy obesity and excess weight gain should be included among the criteria used for screening for gestational hypertension.

Although Filipinos are becoming one of the largest Asian groups in the U.S there is limited research regarding mental health challenges Filipino women experience specifically regarding body satisfaction and self-image. The goal of this explorative qualitative study was to explore the relationship between objectified images of women in the media and the reported levels of body dissatisfaction in a sample of 8 American-born Filipino women and 8 Philippine-born Filipino women. Objectification theory was used to guide this research and levels of sociocultural influences, body satisfaction, and body consciousness were explored through a qualitative research design using statements from the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-3, the Body-Esteem Scale for Adolescents and Adults, and the Objectified Body Consciousness Scale. Participants were interviewed individually and the data were coded in order to determine patterns and themes. Results revealed that the Philippine-born participants relied more on images in the media than the American-born participants of the study in relation to what is attractive and fashionable. However as a whole, the data found that the majority of the participating women felt comfortable with their bodies and physical appearance. The results of this study could help create greater awareness of the issues that Filipino American women deal with in relation to their bodies and self-image through the development of initiatives to treat Filipino American women who may be suffering from mental health issues due to objectification as culturally Filipinos typically do not seek psychological intervention. If programs could be designed specifically for Filipinos targeting issues with body satisfaction, fewer Filipinos may be affected by poor body-image.