Abstract C022: Effect of migration to the US on health characteristics of the African diaspora
Authors: Blackman Elizabeth L , Stapleton Jenisha , Egleston Brian L , Ragin Camille CR 
Published: September 2020

Introduction: The current US Black population is heterogeneous, consisting of individuals of US ancestry (direct descendants of enslaved Africans in the US) and individuals of African and Caribbean ancestry (descendants or individuals who have voluntarily migrated to the US post-slavery). Our previous work has shown distinct differences between Black immigrants and US-born Blacks in cancer survival, and cancer fatalism. This study will assess the differences in cancer risk factors, risk behaviors and health-seeking patterns among the African diaspora living in Philadelphia County compared to that of their native countries. Methods: STEPs data Forty-eight countries were defined as Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and 29 islands/island groupings were defined as the Caribbean (CA). Sixteen variables of interest were selected including: percentage overweight, percentage who currently smoke tobacco daily, percentage of current drinkers, and average BMI. CAP3 data Recruitment activities took place throughout Philadelphia County beginning in 2012 and is ongoing. Subjects completed a detailed questionnaire assessing behavioral, nutritional, demographics and provided bio-specimens. Results: Data were available for 39 SSA countries and nine CA islands and were included in the analysis for this study. The CAP3 dataset has a high response rate and most variables of interest included the full study population. Mean BMI reported from the STEPS data was 22.8 (95% CI 19.6-26.1) and 27.1 (95% CI 26.6-27.5) kg/m2 for the SSA and the CA, respectively; BMI for African and Caribbean immigrants were 28.6 (95% CI 27.6-29.6) and 28.8 (95% CI 27.5-30.2), respectively, a considerable increase among African immigrants. Alcohol consumption was highest in the Caribbean (54% [95% CI 52.1-55.9] vs 26.5% [95% CI 25.4-27.8]) and Caribbean immigrants in the CAP3 population (23.7% [95% CI 14.7-32.6] vs 16% [95% CI 10.6-21.4]) when compared to SSA and African immigrants, respectively. A noticeable difference was also observed in the proportion of individuals that currently used tobacco. A higher proportion of individuals reported current daily tobacco use in SSA and the CA when compared to immigrants in the CAP3 dataset (SSA: 8.2% [95% CI: 6.2-10.3]; CA 12.2% [95% CI: 10.1-14.2] vs. African immigrant 0%; and Caribbean immigrants 4.6% (95% CI: 2.7-18.0). BMI, alcohol consumption and current daily tobacco use was highest among US-born blacks in the CAP3 dataset (30.6 [95% CI: 29.7-31.5]; 38.6% [95% CI: 33.4-43.3]; and 14.1% [95% CI: 10.7-17.4]. Conclusion: The healthy immigrant affect has been well described in the literature and is apparent in our study population, where immigrants are healthier than native-born individuals. However, we also observed that immigrants were healthier than individuals in their native country, prompting the need for further investigation of this phenomena.

Citation Format: Elizabeth L Blackman, Jenisha Stapleton, Brian L Egleston, Camille CR Ragin. Effect of migration to the US on health characteristics of the African diaspora [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 C022.