The Metabolic Syndrome, Biomarkers, and the Acculturation-Health Relationship Among Older Mexican Americans

Objective: To examine the acculturation-health relationship using metabolic syndrome biomarkers. Method: Cross-sectional sample data. Participants: 1,789 Mexican Americans (60 years and older) from northern California. Main Outcome: Biomarkers (waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, triglycerides, and high-density lipids) were used to construct the metabolic syndrome indicator using American Heart Association criteria. Main Predictor: Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II scores. Results: Higher acculturation scores were associated with a significantly lower risk for the metabolic syndrome for foreign-born, but not U.S.-born, Mexican Americans. Conclusion: Immigrant health advantages over U.S.-born Mexican Americans are not evident in older adulthood. Higher acculturation was associated with lowered metabolic syndrome risk among older foreign-born Mexican Americans. This suggests that the prevailing acculturative stress hypothesis may not apply to the health of older adults and that any negative relationship between acculturation and health found in younger adults may yield to different developmental health influences in later adulthood.