Acculturation and Body Mass among Latina Women.
BACKGROUND
Acculturation is associated with an elevated risk of obesity among older Latinos, but the relationship between acculturation and body mass among childbearing Latina women has not been adequately studied.


METHODS
We analyzed data from 313 pregnant Latina women at San Francisco General Hospital. The dependent variable was prepregnancy body mass index (BMI), categorized as underweight (<18.5), normal (18.5-24.9, reference), overweight (25-29.9), or obese (>or=30). The independent variables were acculturation metrics, measured by acculturation index score, degree of Americanization, national origin subgroup, and the number of years residing in the United States.


RESULTS
One third of women were overweight, and one fifth were obese. Education (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.81-0.96) was inversely associated with overweight, after adjusting for confounding variables. Longer residence in the United States (OR 1.08 for each additional year residing in the United States, 95% CI 1.02-1.15), older age (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.01-1.16), and higher gravidity, the total number of pregnancies (OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.09-1.84), were significantly associated with obesity.


CONCLUSIONS
One measure of acculturation, length of time residing in the United States, was associated with obesity among childbearing Latina women. Efforts to reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Latina women should not target recent immigrants but instead focus on long-term immigrants as well as women who are older and have low educational attainment and high gravidity.
Fuentes-Afflick
Elena
E
Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94110, USA. efuentes@sfghpeds.ucsf.edu
Hessol
Nancy A
NA
D000069:Acculturation; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000208:ethnology; D011322:Primary Prevention / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors; D012495:San Francisco / Q000453:epidemiology; D016387:Women's Health / Q000208:ethnology