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
. 2017 Aug 2;14(8):869.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph14080869.

Depressive Symptoms and Length of U.S. Residency Are Associated with Obesity among Low-Income Latina Mothers: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Ana Cristina Lindsay  1   2 , Mary L Greaney  3 , Sherrie F Wallington  4 , Julie A Wright  5 , Anne T Hunt  6
Affiliations

Depressive Symptoms and Length of U.S. Residency Are Associated with Obesity among Low-Income Latina Mothers: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Ana Cristina Lindsay et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Latinos are the largest minority population group in the United States (U.S.), and low-income Latina women are at elevated risk of depression and obesity. Thus, the prevention of these two problems is a pressing public health concern in this population. Both depressive symptoms and obesity are modifiable factors that can be addressed by culturally relevant interventions. However, the association between depressive symptoms and obesity in Latina immigrant women is not well understood. Therefore, this cross-sectional study examined the association between depressive symptoms and obesity among Latina women of childbearing age (15-44). Participants (n = 147) were low-income, predominantly immigrant Latina mothers enrolled in the Latina Mothers' Child Feeding Practices and Style Study. Women were eligible to participate if they self-identified as Latina; were enrolled in or eligible for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children program; had a child between ages two and five years; and were living in the U.S. for at least one year, and residing in Rhode Island. Enrolled participants completed a survey in their language of preference (English or Spanish) administered by bilingual interviewers. About one-third (34%) of participants were classified as having obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m²), 28.3% had elevated depressive symptoms (CES-D ≥ 16), and 70.1% were immigrants. Women with elevated depressive symptoms had increased odds of having obesity (odds ratio (OR) = 2.80, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.24-6.33). Additionally, among immigrants, length of U.S. residency was associated with increased odds of obesity (OR = 1.05, 95% CI: 1.02-1.09). Findings underscore the need for screening and culturally relevant interventions designed to address both depressive symptoms and obesity among low-income Latina women of childbearing age. Furthermore, findings highlight the importance of taking into account the length of residency in the U.S. when designing interventions targeting Latina immigrants.

Keywords: Latina; United States; depression; immigrant; low-income; maternal health; mothers; obesity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper.

References

    1. The Hispanic Population. [(accessed on 10 June 2017)]; Available online: https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-04.pdf.
    1. Flegal K.M., Kruszon-Moran D., Carroll M.D., Fryar C.D., Ogden C.L. Trends in obesity among adults in the United States, 2005 to 2014. JAMA. 2016;315:2284–2291. doi: 10.1001/jama.2016.6458. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ertel K.A., Rich-Edwards J.W., Koenen K.C. Maternal depression in the United States: Nationally representative rates and risks. J. Womens Health. 2011;20:1609–1617. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2010.2657. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. US Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health . Depression (NIH Publication No. 15-3561) Government Printing Office; Bethesda, MD, USA: 2015.
    1. Siega-Riz A.M., Viswanathan M., Moos M.K., Deierlein A., Mumford S., Knaack J., Thieda P., Lux L.J., Lohr K.N. A systematic review of outcomes of maternal weight gain according to the Institute of Medicine recommendations: Birth weight, fetal growth, and postpartum weight retention. Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol. 2009;201:e1–e14. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2009.07.002. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources