Date of Conferral
1-27-2025
Degree
Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)
School
Public Health
Advisor
Simone Salandy
Abstract
Hyperlipidemia is one of the modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVD), the leading cause of death among minority populations in the United States, including foreign-born people. Therefore, preventing and treating hyperlipidemia alongside other CVD risk factors is critical for avoiding CVD. Prior research examined disparities in health insurance coverage, length of stay, and blood cholesterol with mixed observations over time with new immigrants. This study aimed to determine if there was a statistically significant association between language spoken at home, length of stay in the United States, having health insurance coverage or none, and high cholesterol level status among foreign-born United States individuals. The study, guided by a social cognitive framework, used a correlational design to analyze 2,666 males and females ≥ 20 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2017- March 2020 pre pandemic data. Multiple regression analyses were used to analyze the data. Results indicated a significant relationship between the length of stay in the United States (OR = 1.59; p = 0.02) and health insurance coverage (OR = 1.20; p = 0.03) with high cholesterol level status after adjusting for race, age, sex, marital status, income, education, dietary quality, health insurance coverage, cholesterol treatment, cholesterol checkups, hospital utilization, and co-morbidities. The language spoken at home did not significantly impact high cholesterol level status, except for individuals speaking multiple languages (OR = 0.42; p = 0.02). This study’s findings help identify health disparities, areas for further research, interventions, and policies that support the reduction of health disparities in hyperlipidemia among the foreign-born United States population.
Recommended Citation
Ola, Debola Olayinka, "Hyperlipidemia, Acculturation, and Health Insurance Coverage in United States Foreign-born individuals" (2025). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 16977.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/16977
