Citation

Garcia-Perez H, Kulis SS, Marsiglia FF, Estabrooks PA. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023; 21(1): e43.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, MDPI: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute)

DOI

10.3390/ijerph21010043

PMID

38248508

Abstract

This article reports on the findings of a study of the relationship between transnational experiences in the United States (US) and the use of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana among 7th grade students (n = 1418). The study was guided by a cross-national framework for research on immigrant health and assessed the accumulation of risk factors for transnational adolescents. Data came from a survey conducted in 2017 in Nogales, Mexico. In this study, the last 30-day prevalence of use of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana among students was 21.7%, 8.3%, and 2.4%, respectively. Most students were born in Nogales (69.6%), while 10.5% were born in the US, 7.5% attended school in the US, and 3.6% engaged in health-related risk behaviors while living in or visiting the US. Students with transnational experiences, such as attending school in the US, reported the highest 30-day prevalence of tobacco (13.3%) and marijuana (9.5%) use. After adjusting for family, school, access to substances and neighborhood violence variables, students who engaged in health-related risk behavior in the US had significantly increased odds of alcohol and marijuana use while later attending school in Mexico. The article discusses the findings from a prevention science perspective and provides implications for policy, practice, and future research on the Mexico-US border region.

Language: en

Keywords

Adolescent; Humans; Students; prevention; Ethanol; substance use; *Cannabis; *Hallucinogens; *Marijuana Smoking/epidemiology; *Marijuana Use/epidemiology; *Substance-Related Disorders; health-related risk behaviors; Mexico/epidemiology; migrant adolescent; Nicotiana; urban violence