Abstract P198: Association Between Parity and Inflammation Varies by Acculturation Level Among Mexican American Women of Childbearing Age

Abstract

Introduction: Parity is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular health. Its association with cardiovascular disease risk among Mexican American women is less established, even though this population currently has the highest fertility rate in the U.S. We examined the association of parity with a cardiovascular risk biomarker, C-reactive protein (CRP), among Mexican American women of childbearing age. Methods: Participants (N=1,346) were currently non-pregnant women of Mexican background, aged 16-49 years, in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2006. The association between parity status [classified as live birth ≤ one year ago, live birth > one year ago, or nulliparous (reference group)] and elevated CRP (>3.0 mg/L) was examined using binary logistic regression. Since greater acculturation is associated with greater cardiovascular health risk among Mexican American women, an interaction between parity and acculturation was considered. Acculturation (scores 0 to 5) was defined based on nativity status, duration of residence in the U.S. (0-Mexico-born, U.S. resident < 10 years, 1-Mexico-born, U.S. resident 10-19 years, 2-Mexico-born, U.S. resident ≥20 years, 3- U.S. born), and language use at home (0-Spanish, 1-bilingual, 2-English). Scores 0-1, 2-3, 4-5 represented low, moderate, and high acculturation level, respectively. Results: The association of parity status with elevated CRP varied by acculturation level ( P for interaction = 0.01). In stratified analyses, live birth ≤ one year ago and live birth > one year ago, compared to nulliparity, was associated with higher odds of elevated CRP among women with low acculturation but not among women with moderate or high acculturation level. Additional adjustment for access to health care and lifestyle factors did not change results. Conclusions: In this cross-sectional study, parity is associated with a higher likelihood of elevated CRP in women with low acculturation.