Immigrant generation and diabetes risk among Mexican Americans: The Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging

A. Afable-Munsuz, E.R. Mayeda, E.J. Pérez-Stable and M.N. Haan

American Journal of Public Health, 2013, vol. 103, issue 5, e45-e52

Abstract: Objectives. We examined whether acculturation and immigrant generation, a marker for assimilation, are associated with diabetes risk in an aging Mexicanorigin population. Methods. We analyzed data on 1789 adults aged 60 to 101 years from the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging. We ascertained type 2 diabetes on the basis of diabetic medication use, self-report of physician diagnosis, or a fasting glucose of 126 milligrams/deciliter or greater. Logistic regression modeled prevalent diabetes. Results. Adjusting for age and gender, we observed significant but divergent associations between immigrant generation, acculturation, and diabetes risk. Relative to first-generation adults, second-generation adults had an odds ratio (OR) of 1.8 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.4, 2.4) and third-generation adults had an OR of 2.1 (95% CI = 1.4, 3.1) of having diabetes. Greater US acculturation, however, was associated with a slightly decreased diabetes rate. In the full model adjusting for socioeconomic and lifestyle factors, the association between generation (but not acculturation) and diabetes remained significant. Conclusions. Our study lends support to the previously contested notion that assimilation is associated with an increased diabetes risk in Mexican immigrants. Researchers should examine the presence of a causal link between assimilation and health more closely.

Keywords: age distribution; aged; article; cultural factor; ethnology; female; Hispanic; human; interview; longitudinal study; male; Mexico; middle aged; migration; motor activity; non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus; risk factor; social class; statistics; time; United States; very elderly; waist circumference, Acculturation; Age Distribution; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; California; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Emigrants and Immigrants; Female; Humans; Interviews as Topic; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Mexican Americans; Mexico; Middle Aged; Motor Activity; Risk Factors; Social Class; Time Factors; Waist Circumference (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2012.300969_9

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2012.300969

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