Work

Acculturation and Insulin Resistance Among US Chinese Immigrant Women

Year: 2015

Type: article

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: Chinese immigrants in the United States undergo a transition to increased chronic disease risk commonly attributed to acculturative changes. Longitudinal data to confirm this are lacking. We examined acculturation in relation to insulin resistance in a sample of Chinese immigrant women to determine differences by level of education and possible mediation by anthropometry and diet. DESIGN: Longitudinal study. SETTING: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. PARTICIPANTS: 305 Chinese immigrant women recruited October 2005 to April 2008 and followed until April 2010. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Association of acculturation, measured using the General Ethnicity Questionnaire - American version (GEQA), with homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) score as an indicator of insulin resistance, modeled using generalized estimating equations to account for repeated measures over time. RESULTS: GEQA was associated with log HOMA score, but only in women with <9 years of education (beta [SE] = .09 [.04], P=.02; interaction P=.02). The association persisted with adjustment for body mass index, waist circumference, and dietary variables. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide longitudinal evidence that insulin resistance increases with acculturation. However, the association was apparent only in less-educated immigrants and may be mediated by a pathway other than changes in anthropometry and diet.

Source: Ethnicity & Disease

DOI: 10.18865/ed.25.4.443

Authors: Marilyn Tseng, Carolyn Y. Fang

Institutions: California Polytechnic State University, Fox Chase Cancer Center

Language: English

Topic: Diabetes, Cardiovascular Risks, and Lipoproteins

Subfield: Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: green

Funder: National Cancer Institute