Acculturation and the Prevalence of Diabetes in US Latino Adults, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007–2010

Abstract

IntroductionUS Latinos are growing at the fastest rate of any racial/ethnic group in the United States and have the highest lifetime risk of diabetes. Acculturation may increase the risk of diabetes among all Latinos, but this hypothesis has not been studied in a nationally representative sample. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that acculturation was associated with an increased risk of diabetes in such a sample.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional analysis including 3,165 Latino participants in the 2007–2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Participants with doctor-diagnosed diabetes and participants without diagnosed diabetes who had glycated hemoglobin (HbA1C) values of 6.5% or higher were classified as having diabetes. An acculturation score, ranging from 0 (lowest) to 3 (highest), was calculated by giving 1 point for each of 3 characteristics: being born in the United States, speaking predominantly English, and living in the United States for 20 years or more. Logistic regression was used to determine the association between acculturation and diabetes.ResultsThe prevalence of diabetes among Latinos in our sample was 12.4%. After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, the likelihood of diabetes (95% confidence interval [CI]) increased with level of acculturation— 1.71 (95% CI, 1.31–2.23), 1.63 (95% CI, 1.11–2.39), and 2.05 (95% CI, 1.27–3.29) for scores of 1, 2, and 3, respectively. This association persisted after further adjustment for body mass index (BMI), total dietary calories, and physical inactivity.ConclusionAcculturation was associated with a higher risk of diabetes among US Latinos, and this risk was only partly explained by BMI and weight-related behaviors. Future research should examine the bio-behavioral mechanisms that underlie the relationship between acculturation and diabetes in Latinos.

Demographic, clinical and psychosocial factors identify a high-risk group for depression screening among predominantly Hispanic patients with Type 2 diabetes in safety net care

“…While recent analyses of nationally representative data from 1980 to 2012 suggest a doubling of the incidence and prevalence of diabetes during 1990-2008 and a plateauing between 2008 and 2012, continued increases were found among non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic populations [1]. Hispanics, the largest ethnic minority group in the United States, have been found to have the highest lifetime risk of diabetes and significantly high rates of comorbid depression [2][3][4]. Prevalence estimates indicate that having diabetes is associated with a twofold higher risk of comorbid depression compared to the general population, with rates among Hispanics as high as 33% [5].…”

Race and Sex Differences in the Association between Food Insecurity and Type 2 Diabetes

“…Studies have shown that for Latino men and women, rates of diabetes increase with longer tenure in the United States; elevations in BMI could not explain these findings. 28,29 Our research suggests that alongside acculturation, 29 one barrier to better health outcomes for Latinos may be poverty and the unaffordability of nutritious food. Additionally, poverty is a recognized social stressor and has been associated with increased levels of psychological distress 30 and may contribute to the development of biological perturbations that increase diabetes risk.…”

Obesity Association with Chronic Renal Disease in Patients attended at Clínica de la Costa. Barranquilla, Colombia. 2005-2014

“…Asociaciones similares se notaron entre sobrepeso y obesidad durante la adolescencia, y el riesgo de ERC severa durante la mediana edad 7 . Estudios que incluyeron adultos mayores con tiempos de seguimiento más cortos encontraron asociaciones más débiles entre obesidad y el riesgo de ERC severa [8][9][10] , sugiriendo que la asociación entre obesidad y el riesgo de ERC se limita a individuos con síndrome metabólico y/o hipertensión arterial.…”

“…Para 2030, se calcula un total de 1,12 millones de personas con obesidad 6 . En Latinoamérica se estima, según las cifras obtenidas del NHANES III (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III), que un 20% de los hombres y un 25% de las mujeres adultas presentaban obesidad en la década de los noventa, incrementándose su prevalencia a mayor edad (60-69 años) [7][8][9] .…”