title: Ethnic Pride and Cardiovascular Health Among Mexican American Adults Along the U.S.-Mexico Border.
abstract: This study addressed the association between items from the General Acculturation Index (GAI) and cardiovascular health. Specifically, we assessed whether ethnic pride was associated with health outcomes after controlling for items regarding language, place where the childhood was spent and ethnic interaction. The study was a cross sectional analysis of demographic and clinical data from a border population of Mexican American adults (n=316) at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Outcomes included smoking and diabetes status, Framingham risk, and metabolic syndrome. Ethnic pride was associated with lower diabetes prevalence, lower Framingham risk, and fewer risk factors for metabolic syndrome, but was not associated with smoking status. Ethnic pride was not associated with the other acculturation items of the GAI. Among an at-risk border population, ethnic pride functioned independently of other acculturation indicators. Ethnic pride may act as a protective factor for diabetes, metabolic syndrome and CVD risk status.
authors.affiliation: NHGRI SBRB, Affiliation(s) at the time of the presented research: University of Texas at El Paso, Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Houston, Health Science Center, El Paso Campus.
authors.forename: Hendrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: de Heer
authors.forename: Hector G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Balcazar
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cardenas
authors.forename: Lee
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rosenthal
authors.forename: Leslie O
authors.initials: LO
authors.lastname: Schulz