title: Structural social support and cardiovascular disease risk factors in Hispanic/Latino adults with diabetes: results from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL).
abstract: Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have yielded inconsistent findings on the associations of social support networks with cardiovascular health in Hispanic/Latino adults with diabetes. We examined the cross-sectional associations of structural social support and traditional cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in a diverse sample of Hispanic/Latino adults with diabetes.
  
  
  
  This analysis included 2994 adult participants ages 18-74 with diabetes from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL - 2008-2011). Select items from the Social Network Inventory (SNI) were used to assess indices of structural social support, i.e. network size (number of children, parents, and in-laws) and frequency of familial contact. Standardized methods were used to measure abdominal obesity, BMI, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and smoking status. Multivariate regression was used to examine associations of structural support with individual CVD risk factors with demographics, acculturation, physical health, and psychological ill-being (depressive symptoms and anxiety) included as covariates.
  
  
  
  There were no significant cross-sectional associations of structural support indices with abdominal obesity, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, or smoking status. There was a marginally significant (OR: 1.05; 95%CI 0.99-1.11) trend toward higher odds of obesity in participants reporting a larger family unit (including children, parents, and in-laws) and those with closer ties with extended family relatives (OR: 1.04; 95%CI 0.99-1.09).
  
  
  
  Structural social support was marginally associated with higher odds of obesity in Hispanic/Latino adults with diabetes. Alternate forms of social support (e.g. healthcare professionals, friends, peers) should be further explored as potential markers of cardiac risk in Hispanics/Latinos with diabetes.
authors.affiliation: a School of Social Work , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana , USA.
authors.forename: Rosalba
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hernandez
authors.affiliation: b Department of Preventive Medicine , Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine , Chicago , USA.
authors.forename: Mercedes
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carnethon
authors.affiliation: b Department of Preventive Medicine , Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine , Chicago , USA.
authors.forename: Aida L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Giachello
authors.affiliation: c Department of Medical Social Sciences , Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine , Chicago , USA.
authors.forename: Frank J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Penedo
authors.affiliation: d College of Medicine, Institute for Minority Health Research, University of Illinois at Chicago , Chicago , USA.
authors.forename: Donghong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: e Department of Psychology, Behavioral Medicine Research Center , University of Miami , Miami , USA.
authors.forename: Orit
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Birnbaum-Weitzman
authors.affiliation: f SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program in Global Health , San Diego , USA.
authors.forename: Rebeca Espinoza
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Giacinto
authors.affiliation: g Department of Psychology , San Diego State University , Chula Vista , USA.
authors.forename: Linda C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Gallo
authors.affiliation: h Department of Epidemiology and Population Health , Albert Einstein College of Medicine , Bronx , USA.
authors.forename: Carmen R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Isasi
authors.affiliation: i Department of Psychology , University of Miami , Miami , USA.
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Schneiderman
authors.affiliation: j Collaborative Studies Coordinating Center , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Chapel Hill , USA.
authors.forename: Yanping
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Teng
authors.affiliation: j Collaborative Studies Coordinating Center , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Chapel Hill , USA.
authors.forename: Donglin
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: b Department of Preventive Medicine , Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine , Chicago , USA.|d College of Medicine, Institute for Minority Health Research, University of Illinois at Chicago , Chicago , USA.
authors.forename: Martha L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Daviglus
mesh_terms: D000069:Acculturation; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000208:ethnology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity; D012307:Risk Factors; D012944:Social Support; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Diabetes; Hispanics/Latinos; cardiovascular disease risk factors; social support