SSM - Population Health
Volume 2, 2016, Pages 416-424

Nativity differences in allostatic load by age, sex, and Hispanic background from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (Article) (Open Access)

Salazar C.R.* , Strizich G. , Seeman T.E. , Isasi C.R. , Gallo L.C. , Avilés-Santa L.M. , Cai J. , Penedo F.J. , Arguelles W. , Sanders A.E. , Lipton R.B. , Kaplan R.C.
  • a Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
  • b Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
  • c Departments of Epidemiology and Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, United States
  • d Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
  • e Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States
  • f National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, United States
  • g University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health, Department of Biostatistics, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
  • h Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
  • i Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Miami, FL, United States
  • j Department of Dental Ecology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
  • k Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States, Departments of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Behavioral Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States
  • l Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, United States

Abstract

Allostatic load (AL), an index of biological "wear and tear" on the body from cumulative exposure to stress, has been little studied in US Hispanics/Latinos. We investigated AL accumulation patterns by age, sex, and nativity in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos. We studied 15,830 Hispanic/Latinos of Mexican, Cuban, Dominican, Puerto Rican, Central and South American descent aged 18-74 years, 77% of whom were foreign-born. Consistent with the conceptualization of AL, we developed an index based upon 16 physiological markers that spanned the cardiometabolic, parasympathetic, and inflammatory systems. We computed mean adjusted AL scores using log-linear models across age-groups (18-44, 45-54, 55-74 years), by sex and nativity status. Among foreign-born individuals, differences in AL by duration of residence in the US (<10, ≥10 years) and age at migration (<24, ≥24 years) were also examined. In persons younger than 55 years old, after controlling for socioeconomic and behavioral factors, AL was highest among US-born individuals, intermediate in foreign-born Hispanics/Latinos with longer duration in the US (≥10 years), and lowest among those with shorter duration in the US (<10 years) (P<0.0001 for increasing trend). Similarly, AL increased among the foreign-born with earlier age at immigration. These trends were less pronounced among individuals ≥55 years of age. Similar patterns were observed across all Hispanic/Latino heritage groups (P for interaction=0.5). Our findings support both a "healthy immigrant" pattern and a loss of health advantage over time among US Hispanics/Latinos of diverse heritages. © 2016 The Authors.

Author Keywords

allostatic load Age patterns Nativity Physiological dysregulation Hispanic ethnicity

Index Keywords

[No Keywords available]
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84973401185&doi=10.1016%2fj.ssmph.2016.05.003&partnerID=40&md5=76f0d7a58ac28fce96e580b991e35d9d
DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2016.05.003
ISSN: 23528273
Cited by: 8
Original Language: English