Date of Award

8-22-2025

Date Published

September 2025

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Exercise Science

Advisor(s)

Joon Young Kim

Keywords

blood pressure;cardiovascular disease;hypertension;International migrants;international students;refugees

Abstract

International migrant populations, including immigrants, refugees, and international students, are a growing population worldwide that may be vulnerable to a heightened cardiovascular disease risk. Lifestyle factors, such as poor mental health and physical inactivity, may worsen cardiovascular disease risk factors that, in turn, increase cardiovascular disease risk. We sought to examine measures of cardiovascular disease risk and the lifestyle factors that may be affecting these measures in international migrant populations. In study 1, we compared hypertension prevalence between adult immigrants and non-immigrants in the United States. We found a lower hypertension prevalence in immigrants, which was mediated by their lower health insurance coverage. In study 2, we conducted a pilot study to compare pre-clinical measures of cardiovascular disease risk and mental health symptomology between young adult refugees/New Americans who did/did not meet recommended physical activity guidelines. We did not observe differences in central blood pressure; however, those who met physical activity guidelines had lower PTSD and stress symptomology. In study 3, we performed a mixed-methods study to examine the relationships between mental health, cardiometabolic health, and physical activity levels in international college students. Our main finding was that moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and light physical activity did not significantly differ in dose-response relationships with mental health and cardiometabolic health, suggesting that light physical activity may be an accessible method for improving cardiometabolic health in international students. These results may inform future health care and university policies in order to reduce cardiovascular disease burden in international migrant populations.

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Open Access

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