The Modifying Effect of Sociocultural Status on Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes in Older Mexican American Women

Download or read book The Modifying Effect of Sociocultural Status on Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes in Older Mexican American Women written by Deborah M. Parra-Medina and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The primary objective of this dissertation project was to describe the pattern of effect modification caused by sociocultural status on identified risk factors for Type 2 diabetes. This case-control study included 244 Mexican American women, between the ages of 50-79, who were enrolled in the Observational Study of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) in San Diego, Tucson, or San Antonio between 1994-1997. Seventy-eight diabetics and 166 nondiabetics were included in the study. As a supplement to data already collected by the WHI, a telephone survey was used to gather information on acculturation and diabetes related knowledge and behavior. Results support previous findings that increased age; a positive family history of diabetes, obesity, and centralized adiposity; and a sedentary lifestyle are important independent predictors of diabetes. The risk of diabetes associated with obesity is moderated by acculturation in a nonlinear fashion. Specifically, risk of diabetes associated with obesity was lowest at either the high or the low end of the acculturation spectrum, but highest in the midrange. The risk of diabetes associated with a higher waist hip ratio increases with income and acculturation. With respect to educational status, the risk of disabetes is related in a nonlinear fashion and is magnified for women with 7th-12th grade education. However, in the presence of other risk factors such as family history of diabetes and age, the importance of sociocultural status as an effect modifier diminishes.