Disparities in Preventive Health Behaviors Among Non-Hispanic White Men

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to estimate and compare the age-adjusted prevalence of not receiving a flu vaccine, pneumonia vaccine, or prostate cancer screening among U.S.- and foreign-born White men by region of birth (Europe/Russia and the Arab Nations) and examine these associations while controlling for potential confounders. Twelve years of restricted data from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) including 91,636 U.S.- and foreign-born men were used. Chi-squares were used to compare descriptive statistics, and odds ratios (ORs; 95% confidence intervals [CIs]) were used for inferential statistics. In crude and adjusted analyses, foreign-born Arab American men were less likely to report receiving a flu (OR = 0.38; 95% CI = 0.21, 0.67) and pneumonia (OR = 0.33; 95% CI = 0.16, 0.70) vaccine compared with U.S.-born White men. There were no statistically significant differences for PSA testing between Arab American and White men. This national study examining uptake of flu and pneumonia vaccines suggests estimates are lower for foreign-born Arab American men compared with U.S.-born White men. Future studies should collect qualitative data that assesses the cultural context surrounding prevention and screening behaviors among Arab Americans.