W. Vega - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by W. Vega

Research paper thumbnail of Access to Medical Care and Family Arrangements Among Mexican Elderly Immigrants Living in the United States

Research paper thumbnail of Early and mid-adolescence risk factors for later substance abuse by African Americans and European Americans

Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974), 2002

This study examines the relationship between risk factors experienced during adolescence by Afric... more This study examines the relationship between risk factors experienced during adolescence by African Americans and European Americans and DSM-IV alcohol dependence and marijuana abuse or dependence in early adulthood. The authors followed a cohort of adolescents from 1990-91 (grades 6 and 7) to 1998-2000 (ages 19-21), evaluating risk factors during early adolescence as predictors of DSM-IV alcohol dependence and marijuana abuse and dependence. African Americans had higher exposure to school, family structure, delinquency, and psychosocial factors. School factors and drug-use modeling of peers and family were the most important risk factors for marijuana abuse or dependence for both European and African Americans. Personal, familial, and social context factors during early adolescence affect adult drug-use problems, particularly for African Americans. Levels of drug use are lower among African Americans, but exposure to risks is higher and there are clear differences in the long-range...

Research paper thumbnail of Hispanic drug abuse in an evolving cultural context: An agenda for research

Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2006

Drug abuse in the U.S. Hispanic population appears to be in a dynamic state of acceleration, alth... more Drug abuse in the U.S. Hispanic population appears to be in a dynamic state of acceleration, although there are differences in drug use patterns between U.S.-born and foreign-born Hispanics, and across Hispanic subgroups (i.e., Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Central or South American). An understanding of the consequences of cultural adjustments for drug use is needed to effectively anticipate the scope and dimensions of illicit drug use in the largest, rapidly growing, minority group in the U.S. This paper provides an epidemiologic overview of current Hispanic drug use, summarizes research on the relationship between culture change and drug use, organized according to individual, social (i.e., family and peer group), and community level influences on drug use, and offers a systematic agenda for future research.

Research paper thumbnail of Migration from Mexico to the United States and conduct disorder: A cross-national study

Archives of General Psychiatry, 2011

Twin studies suggest that conduct disorder (CD) is under substantial genetic influence, which is ... more Twin studies suggest that conduct disorder (CD) is under substantial genetic influence, which is stronger for aggressive than for nonaggressive symptoms. Studies of migrating populations offer an alternative strategy for separating environmental and genetic influences on psychiatric disorders. To examine variation in the prevalence of CD associated with migration from Mexico to the United States and to determine whether this variation is similar for aggressive and nonaggressive CD symptoms and symptom profiles. The prevalences of CD, different types of CD symptoms, and CD symptom profiles were compared across 3 generations of people of Mexican origin with increasing levels of exposure to American culture: families of origin of migrants (residing in Mexico), children of Mexican migrants raised in the United States, and Mexican-American children of US-born parents. General population surveys conducted in Mexico and the United States using the same diagnostic interview. Adults aged 18 to 44 years in the household population of Mexico and the household population of people of Mexican descent in the United States. Conduct disorder criteria, assessed using the World Mental Health version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Compared with the risk in families of origin of migrants, risk of CD was lower in the general population of Mexico (odds ratio [OR], 0.54; 95% CI, 0.19-1.51), higher in children of Mexican-born immigrants who were raised in the United States (OR, 4.12; 95% CI, 1.47-11.52), and higher still in Mexican-American children of US-born parents (OR, 7.64; 95% CI, 3.20-18.27). The association with migration was markedly weaker for aggressive than for nonaggressive symptoms. The prevalence of CD increases dramatically across generations of the Mexican-origin population after migration to the United States. This increase is of larger magnitude for nonaggressive than for aggressive symptoms, consistent with the suggestion that nonaggressive symptoms are more strongly influenced by environmental factors than are aggressive symptoms.

Research paper thumbnail of Validity of Self-rated Health among Latino(a)s

American Journal of Epidemiology, 2002

The authors investigated whether self-rated health (SRH) had differential mortality risks for Lat... more The authors investigated whether self-rated health (SRH) had differential mortality risks for Latino(a) adults of various acculturation statuses living in the United States. They used cumulative National Health Interview Survey data from 1989 to 1994 (n = 37,713) linked with the National Health Interview Survey Multiple Cause of Death data files (1,364 deaths) that match records from the National Death Index through 1997. The authors specified survival models to estimate the effect of SRH on mortality and further stratified their model by birth and duration in the United States as proxies for acculturation. These estimates were compared across strata. Poor SRH was found to be a weaker predictor of subsequent mortality risk among the less acculturated, although the overall risk among the aggregated sample is similar to the risk reported in previous studies. The relation between poor SRH and mortality risk increases with United States acculturation among Latinos. While poor SRH was significantly associated with short-term mortality among the least acculturated, this association did not persist beyond 2-year mortality risk. Health researchers wishing to use SRH to assess the physical health of multiethnic populations should at least control for levels of acculturation among respondents. Am J Epidemiol 2002;155:755-9.

Research paper thumbnail of Access to Medical Care and Family Arrangements Among Mexican Elderly Immigrants Living in the United States

Research paper thumbnail of Early and mid-adolescence risk factors for later substance abuse by African Americans and European Americans

Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974), 2002

This study examines the relationship between risk factors experienced during adolescence by Afric... more This study examines the relationship between risk factors experienced during adolescence by African Americans and European Americans and DSM-IV alcohol dependence and marijuana abuse or dependence in early adulthood. The authors followed a cohort of adolescents from 1990-91 (grades 6 and 7) to 1998-2000 (ages 19-21), evaluating risk factors during early adolescence as predictors of DSM-IV alcohol dependence and marijuana abuse and dependence. African Americans had higher exposure to school, family structure, delinquency, and psychosocial factors. School factors and drug-use modeling of peers and family were the most important risk factors for marijuana abuse or dependence for both European and African Americans. Personal, familial, and social context factors during early adolescence affect adult drug-use problems, particularly for African Americans. Levels of drug use are lower among African Americans, but exposure to risks is higher and there are clear differences in the long-range...

Research paper thumbnail of Hispanic drug abuse in an evolving cultural context: An agenda for research

Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2006

Drug abuse in the U.S. Hispanic population appears to be in a dynamic state of acceleration, alth... more Drug abuse in the U.S. Hispanic population appears to be in a dynamic state of acceleration, although there are differences in drug use patterns between U.S.-born and foreign-born Hispanics, and across Hispanic subgroups (i.e., Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Central or South American). An understanding of the consequences of cultural adjustments for drug use is needed to effectively anticipate the scope and dimensions of illicit drug use in the largest, rapidly growing, minority group in the U.S. This paper provides an epidemiologic overview of current Hispanic drug use, summarizes research on the relationship between culture change and drug use, organized according to individual, social (i.e., family and peer group), and community level influences on drug use, and offers a systematic agenda for future research.

Research paper thumbnail of Migration from Mexico to the United States and conduct disorder: A cross-national study

Archives of General Psychiatry, 2011

Twin studies suggest that conduct disorder (CD) is under substantial genetic influence, which is ... more Twin studies suggest that conduct disorder (CD) is under substantial genetic influence, which is stronger for aggressive than for nonaggressive symptoms. Studies of migrating populations offer an alternative strategy for separating environmental and genetic influences on psychiatric disorders. To examine variation in the prevalence of CD associated with migration from Mexico to the United States and to determine whether this variation is similar for aggressive and nonaggressive CD symptoms and symptom profiles. The prevalences of CD, different types of CD symptoms, and CD symptom profiles were compared across 3 generations of people of Mexican origin with increasing levels of exposure to American culture: families of origin of migrants (residing in Mexico), children of Mexican migrants raised in the United States, and Mexican-American children of US-born parents. General population surveys conducted in Mexico and the United States using the same diagnostic interview. Adults aged 18 to 44 years in the household population of Mexico and the household population of people of Mexican descent in the United States. Conduct disorder criteria, assessed using the World Mental Health version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Compared with the risk in families of origin of migrants, risk of CD was lower in the general population of Mexico (odds ratio [OR], 0.54; 95% CI, 0.19-1.51), higher in children of Mexican-born immigrants who were raised in the United States (OR, 4.12; 95% CI, 1.47-11.52), and higher still in Mexican-American children of US-born parents (OR, 7.64; 95% CI, 3.20-18.27). The association with migration was markedly weaker for aggressive than for nonaggressive symptoms. The prevalence of CD increases dramatically across generations of the Mexican-origin population after migration to the United States. This increase is of larger magnitude for nonaggressive than for aggressive symptoms, consistent with the suggestion that nonaggressive symptoms are more strongly influenced by environmental factors than are aggressive symptoms.

Research paper thumbnail of Validity of Self-rated Health among Latino(a)s

American Journal of Epidemiology, 2002

The authors investigated whether self-rated health (SRH) had differential mortality risks for Lat... more The authors investigated whether self-rated health (SRH) had differential mortality risks for Latino(a) adults of various acculturation statuses living in the United States. They used cumulative National Health Interview Survey data from 1989 to 1994 (n = 37,713) linked with the National Health Interview Survey Multiple Cause of Death data files (1,364 deaths) that match records from the National Death Index through 1997. The authors specified survival models to estimate the effect of SRH on mortality and further stratified their model by birth and duration in the United States as proxies for acculturation. These estimates were compared across strata. Poor SRH was found to be a weaker predictor of subsequent mortality risk among the less acculturated, although the overall risk among the aggregated sample is similar to the risk reported in previous studies. The relation between poor SRH and mortality risk increases with United States acculturation among Latinos. While poor SRH was significantly associated with short-term mortality among the least acculturated, this association did not persist beyond 2-year mortality risk. Health researchers wishing to use SRH to assess the physical health of multiethnic populations should at least control for levels of acculturation among respondents. Am J Epidemiol 2002;155:755-9.