Abstract P551: Public Sentiment Toward Immigrants and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among Hispanics/Latinos in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos

Background: News reports and hate crime data suggest that anti-Hispanic/Latino immigrant sentiment was expressed by some sectors of the U.S. public during the 2016 Presidential campaign and election. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between this period and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors thought to be responsive to acute stress exposure among Hispanic/Latino adults in the US. Methods: Data were from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), a prospective cohort study of Hispanic/Latino adults living in the US. The analytic sample was limited to non-pregnant adults, 35 to 74 years old, who participated in Visit 1 (2008-2011) and Visit 2 (2014-2017). The exposed were defined as participants who completed Visit 2 in 2016 and the unexposed were defined as participants who completed Visit 2 in 2014 or 2015. Cardiovascular disease risk factors included elevated depressive symptoms (CESD-10 score: 10+), current smoking, and at-risk levels of alcohol consumption (women: 7+ drinks/week; men: 14+ drinks/week). Current alcohol use (i.e., any current alcohol use) was also examined as a potential stress-related outcome. Predicted marginal risk ratio models were used to estimate incident Visit 2 outcomes as a function of exposure to the year 2016 among individuals who did not have those outcomes at Visit 1. Models were adjusted for age and insurance status at Visit 1. A priori interactions with nativity status, duration of residence in the US, and Hispanic/Latino background group were examined. Results: No statistically significant association between 2016 exposure and elevated depressive symptoms was observed in the main model, but additive interaction by Hispanic/Latino background group was observed ( p = 0.03) (Mexican and Central American background: RR adjusted : 1.28 (0.94, 1.76); Hispanics/Latinos of other background groups: RR adjusted : 0.85 (0.66, 1.09)). No association between 2016 exposure and incident smoking or incident at-risk alcohol consumption was observed and tests for interaction were not statistically significant. For incident current alcohol use, borderline trends in the main model suggested an association with the exposure (RR adjusted : 1.11 (0.99, 1.26)). Further, statistically significant additive interaction by nativity status was observed (Foreign-born: RR adjusted : 1.20 (1.06, 1.37); US/Puerto Rico-born: RR adjusted : 0.78 (0.55, 1.09)). Conclusions: Trends from study findings suggest an association between exposure to anti-Hispanic/Latino immigrant sentiment in 2016 and current alcohol use among foreign-born Hispanic/Latino adults. Given limitations of using time as a proxy for exposure to anti-Hispanic/Latino immigrant sentiment, future studies should explore more specific measurements of sentiment during this time and explore short and long-term effects of this sentiment.