The effects of acculturation on asthma burden in a community sample of Mexican American schoolchildren.
OBJECTIVE
We sought to determine whether low acculturation among Mexican American caregivers protects their children against asthma.


METHODS
Data were obtained from an observational study of urban pediatric asthma. Dependent variables were children's diagnosed asthma and total (diagnosed plus possible) asthma. Regression models were controlled for caregivers' level of acculturation, education, marital status, depression, life stress, and social support and children's insurance.


RESULTS
Caregivers' level of acculturation was associated with children's diagnosed asthma (P = .025) and total asthma (P = .078) in bivariate analyses. In multivariate models, protective effects of caregivers' level of acculturation were mediated by the other covariates. Independent predictors of increased diagnosed asthma included caregivers' life stress (odds ratio [OR] = 1.12, P= .005) and children's insurance, both public (OR = 4.71, P= .009) and private (OR = 2.87, P= .071). Only caregiver's life stress predicted increased total asthma (OR = 1.21, P= .001).


CONCLUSIONS
The protective effect of caregivers' level of acculturation on diagnosed and total asthma for Mexican American children was mediated by social factors, especially caregivers' life stress. Among acculturation measures, foreign birth was more predictive of disease status than was language use or years in country. Increased acculturation among immigrant groups does not appear to lead to greater asthma risk.
Martin
Molly A
MA
Department of Preventive Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Ill 60612, USA. molly_a_martin@rush.edu
Shalowitz
Madeleine U
MU
Mijanovich
Tod
T
Clark-Kauffman
Elizabeth
E
Perez
Elizabeth
E
Berry
Carolyn A
CA
D000069:Acculturation; D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000523:psychology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology