# A biobehavioral Approach to Explore the Migration-food Insecurity Nexus as a Social Determinant of Cardiovascular Health

> **NIH NIH R56** · RICE UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $748,647

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
 Food insecurity is a toxic stressor in the context of forced migration, which increases health risk and
contributes to health disparities. The proposed study will capitalize on the expertise, previous work, cultural
backgrounds, and community liaisons of leading scientists in migrant health, health disparities, and nutrition to
conduct the first prospective, longitudinal study to use a biobehavioral approach to characterize food insecurity
as a social determinant of health in a marginalized immigrant population about which little is known. In this
study, our team will collect longitudinal, mixed methods data from 450 Latino immigrants varying in migration
context to examine how exposure to food insecurity and trauma – concurrently and prospectively influence risk
for CVD and diminished psychological well-being via the biological pathways of malnutrition and systemic
inflammation. Importantly, the proposed study will also identify individual and cultural factors that might
ameliorate the detrimental health effects of food insecurity on CVD risk and psychological well-being among
marginalized Latino immigrants. In collaboration with established community partners, participants will be
recruited from immigrant camps/shelters on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, along with a
control/comparison group of established Latino immigrants living in the U.S. (≥ 5 years in U.S.). Using the
inflammatory hypothesis of chronic stress as a conceptual framework, the proposed study incorporates state-
of-the-art biological markers and mixed methods to provide novel information about biobehavioral mechanisms
that underlie health risk and foster resilience across domains and levels. Specific aim 1 is to characterize the
food insecurity patterns of Latino immigrants varying in history of trauma and migration context. Specific aim 2
is to characterize the concurrent and prospective relationships between food insecurity, nutritional status,
inflammation, CVD risk, and psychological well-being, and to identify disparities in these associations among
Latino immigrants varying in history of trauma and migration context. Specific aim 3 is to identify and
understand sociocultural and personal factors that moderate the associations between nutritional status,
inflammation, CVD risk, and psychological well-being among Latino immigrants varying in history of trauma
and migration context. Knowledge gained from the proposed study will (1) fill a gap in the literature and propel
scientific evidence about biobehavioral mechanisms through which food insecurity influences cardiovascular
health and psychological well-being among Latino immigrants, while accounting for differences in the
immigration experience that underlie health disparities in this immigrant population; (2) inform culture and
context sensitive assessments, prevention efforts, and intervention to address food insecurity and its
detrimental health effects; and (3) guide advocacy and policy...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11175775
- **Project number:** 1R56HL174589-01
- **Recipient organization:** RICE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Luz Maria Garcini
- **Activity code:** R56 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $748,647
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-17 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11175775

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11175775, A biobehavioral Approach to Explore the Migration-food Insecurity Nexus as a Social Determinant of Cardiovascular Health (1R56HL174589-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11175775. Licensed CC0.

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