Nativity and age at migration in relation to all-cause and cardiovascular mortality among older Mexican Americans: An examination of social, cultural and biochemical pathways

A number of studies have reported a mortality advantage among Mexican origin residents of the United States (US). However, few studies have specifically examined socioeconomic and mortality differentials within the elderly Mexican born, the fastest growing segment of this group. In addition, a series of hemostatic and inflammatory markers have been recently investigated due to their promising significance in predicting all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. None of those biomarkers has yet been evaluated in a prospective study of community-dwelling older Mexican Americans. The utilization of key biological markers can help us not only to determine mortality risk prediction, but also to assess if the associations are modified by country of origin and if current recommended guidelines are adequate for the Mexican American elderly. This dissertation used data from the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging (SALSA) a cohort study of 1,789 older Latinos (60-101 years), mainly of Mexican origin, who have been followed since 1998 to examine (1) variations in socioeconomic status by age at migration; (2) the association between age at migration to the US and cardiovascular mortality and (3) the association between homocysteine (tHcy) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.