Abstract MP03: The Association of the Parent-Child Acculturation Gap With Obesity and Cardiometabolic Risk in Hispanic/Latino Youth: Results From the Hispanic Community Children's Health Study/Study of Latino Youth (SOL Youth)

Abstract

Introduction: Hispanic/Latino youth are disproportionately burdened by obesity and have a high prevalence of pre-diabetes and dyslipidemia. Acculturation may help explain this elevated cardiometabolic risk. Within immigrant families, parents and children acculturate at different rates. A difference in the degree of acculturation, known as the “acculturation gap”, between parents and their children has been associated with behaviors that may increase cardiometabolic risk in youth. However, no previous studies have investigated the association between the parent-child acculturation gap and cardiometabolic health. Hypothesis: We tested whether greater gaps in parent-child acculturation were associated with worse cardiometabolic health in Hispanic/Latino youth. Methods: Hispanic/Latino youth ( n =1466, 8-16-year-olds) and parents from the Hispanic Community Children’s Health Study/Study of Latino Youth (SOL Youth) were examined. Mean scores on the Brief Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II (ARSMA-II) Anglo and Latino Orientation Scales (AOS and LOS, respectively) were used to represent parent and youth acculturation. The Brief ARSMA-II primarily assesses language use patterns on a 5-point Likert-type scale, with higher scores on the AOS indicating a preference for English and higher scores on the LOS indicating a preference for Spanish. Cardiometabolic markers included youth body mass index (BMI) percentile, blood pressure percentiles, fasting glucose, HOMA-IR, HbA1c, cholesterol, triglycerides, and hsCRP. Missing data were addressed using multiple imputation. Survey-weighted multivariable linear regression examined associations of youth, parent, and youth x parent (the acculturation gap) scores for the AOS and LOS scales separately with each cardiometabolic marker. Results: On average, compared to their parents, youth reported a greater preference for English and a lower preference for Spanish (AOS=4.2 vs. 2.7; LOS=3.1 vs. 4.2, respectively). Greater discordance (i.e., an acculturation gap) in parent and youth AOS scores was associated with elevated BMI percentile only (p-for-interaction≤0.001). The LOS acculturation gap was not associated with any cardiometabolic measures. Adjustment for acculturative stress, family functioning and closeness, parenting style, and youth’s diet and physical activity did not alter the findings. Removal of non-significant acculturation gaps indicated an inverse association between parent AOS score and youth SBP percentile (β=-2.47, 95% CI: -4.73, -0.21) and between parent LOS score and youth total cholesterol (β=-2.87, 95% CI: -5.52, -0.21). Conclusions: Discrepancies in English language use in parent-child dyads may relate to increased obesity risk in Hispanic/Latino youth. Future studies are needed to identify mediators of this association, such as general stress and English language fluency.