“At Risk” Cardiovascular Health Profiles: Metabolic Dysregulation and Acculturative Processes for Latino Americans

Ellis Logan, Pennsylvania State University

Our aim is to investigate the influence of acculturation processes among Latinos in the U.S. on the manifestation of biological indicators of cardiovascular health in a large nationally representative sample. We explore the relationship between Lationo acculturation and the "metabolic syndrome" via a series of novel methodological approaches to uncover fundamental relationships, and subtle nuances therein. We find that acculturation, especially linguistic preference and nativity/generational status, is positively related to higher counts of cardiovascular biomarkers for Latinos net of SES, healthy habits, and demographic indicators. After decomposing the individual indicators, we find a great deal of variation in the initial relationship, indicating that certain cardiovascular biomarkers are more influential than others in the observed relationship. Further, we find considerable gender variation within the observed relationship which must be explored in more detail.