Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Multicenter Study
. 2008 Aug;31(8):1621-8.
doi: 10.2337/dc07-2182. Epub 2008 May 5.

Association of acculturation levels and prevalence of diabetes in the multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis (MESA)

Namratha R Kandula  1 , Ana V Diez-Roux, Cheeling Chan, Martha L Daviglus, Sharon A Jackson, Hanyu Ni, Pamela J Schreiner
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Association of acculturation levels and prevalence of diabetes in the multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis (MESA)

Namratha R Kandula et al. Diabetes Care. 2008 Aug.

Abstract

Objective: The prevalence of type 2 diabetes among Hispanic and Asian Americans is increasing. These groups are largely comprised of immigrants who may be undergoing behavioral and lifestyle changes associated with development of diabetes. We studied the association between acculturation and diabetes in a population sample of 708 Mexican-origin Hispanics, 547 non-Mexican-origin Hispanics, and 737 Chinese participants in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).

Research design and methods: Diabetes was defined as fasting glucose >/=126 mg/dl and/or use of antidiabetic medications. An acculturation score was calculated for all participants using nativity, years living in the U.S., and language spoken at home. The score ranged from 0 to 5 (0 = least acculturated and 5 = most acculturated). Relative risk regression was used to estimate the association between acculturation and diabetes.

Results: For non-Mexican-origin Hispanics, the prevalence of diabetes was positively associated with acculturation score, after adjustment for sociodemographics. The prevalence of diabetes was significantly higher among the most acculturated versus the least acculturated non-Mexican-origin Hispanics (prevalence ratio 2.49 [95% CI 1.14-5.44]); the higher the acculturation score is, the higher the prevalence of diabetes (P for trend 0.059). This relationship between acculturation and diabetes was partly attenuated after adjustment for BMI or diet. Diabetes prevalence was not related to acculturation among Chinese or Mexican-origin Hispanics.

Conclusions: Among non-Mexican-origin Hispanics in MESA, greater acculturation is associated with higher diabetes prevalence. The relation is at least partly mediated by BMI and diet. Acculturation is a factor that should be considered when predictors of diabetes in racial/ethnic groups are examined.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Cowie CC, Rust KF, Byrd-Holt DD, Eberhardt MS, Flegal KM, Engelgau MM, Saydah SH, Williams DE, Geiss LS, Gregg EW: Prevalence of diabetes and impaired fasting glucose in adults in the U.S. population: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2002. Diabetes Care 29:1263–1268, 2006 - PubMed
    1. McNeely MJ, Boyko EJ: Type 2 diabetes prevalence in Asian Americans: results of a national health survey. Diabetes Care 27:66–69, 2004 - PubMed
    1. Clark L, Hofsess L: Acculturation. In Handbook of Immigrant Health. Loue S, Ed. New York, Plenum Press, 1998, p. 37–59
    1. Abraido-Lanza AF, Armbrister AN, Florez KR, Aguirre AN: Toward a theory-driven model of acculturation in public health research. Am J Public Health 96:1342–1346, 2006 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Abraido-Lanza AF, Chao MT, Florez KR: Do healthy behaviors decline with greater acculturation? Implications for the Latino mortality paradox. Soc Sci Med 61:1243–1255, 2005 - PMC - PubMed

Publication types