Arizona Prevention Research Center, Department of Health Promotion Sciences, Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA.
Campesinos Sin Fronteras, Somerton, AZ 85350, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 May 1;20(9):5703. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20095703.
U.S.-Mexico border residents experience pervasive social and ecological stressors that contribute to a high burden of chronic disease. However, the border region is primarily composed of high-density Mexican-origin neighborhoods, a characteristic that is most commonly health-promoting. Understanding factors that contribute to border stress and resilience is essential to informing the effective design of community-level health promotion strategies. La Vida en La Frontera is a mixed-methods, participatory study designed to understand factors that may contribute to border resilience in San Luis, Arizona. The study's initial qualitative phase included interviews with 30 Mexican-origin adults exploring community perceptions of the border environment, cross-border ties, and health-related concepts. Border residents described the border as a Mexican enclave characterized by individuals with a common language and shared cultural values and perspectives. Positive characteristics related to living in proximity to Mexico included close extended family relationships, access to Mexican food and products, and access to more affordable health care and other services. Based on these findings, we co-designed the 9-item Border Resilience Scale that measures agreement with the psychosocial benefits of these border attributes. Pilot data with 60 residents suggest there are positive sociocultural attributes associated with living in border communities. Further research should test if they mitigate environmental stressors and contribute to a health-promoting environment for residents.
美墨边境居民面临着普遍的社会和生态压力源，这导致他们患慢性病的负担很重。然而，边境地区主要由高密度的墨西哥裔社区组成，这种特征通常对健康是有益的。了解导致边境地区紧张和恢复力的因素对于为社区层面的健康促进策略的有效设计提供信息至关重要。《边境生活》是一项混合方法、参与式研究，旨在了解亚利桑那州圣路易斯边境地区可能有助于恢复力的因素。该研究的初始定性阶段包括对 30 名墨西哥裔成年人进行的访谈，探讨了他们对边境环境、跨境联系和与健康相关的概念的看法。边境居民将边境描述为一个以共同语言和共同文化价值观和观点为特征的墨西哥飞地。与居住在靠近墨西哥的地方有关的积极特征包括与大家庭的亲密关系、获得墨西哥食品和产品的机会，以及获得更负担得起的医疗保健和其他服务的机会。基于这些发现，我们共同设计了 9 项衡量对这些边境属性的心理社会益处的认同的边境恢复力量表。对 60 名居民的试点数据表明，与居住在边境社区相关的存在积极的社会文化属性。进一步的研究应该检验它们是否减轻了环境压力源，并为居民创造了一个促进健康的环境。
