TABLE 2.
Health Behaviors and Conditions Among Mexican American Women Aged 15–44 Years (N = 1673), by Measures of Acculturation: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2004
| All Mexican American Womena | Generational Status |
Language Preference |
|||||||
| First (Ref) | Second | Pb | Third | Pb | Used More Spanish (Ref) | Used More English | Pb | ||
| Health in general, % (95% CI) | <.05 | <.05 | <.001 | ||||||
| Excellent | 16.6 (14.1, 19.2) | 16.0 (12.8, 19.2) | 17.3 (10.3, 24.2) | 18.2 (11.6, 24.9) | 16.2 (12.8, 19.5) | 18.1 (14.1, 22.1) | |||
| Very good | 22.0 (19.4, 24.6) | 15.4 (11.9, 19.0) | 29.3 (22.1, 36.5) | 30.1 (24.1, 36.2) | 14.4 (11.1, 17.7) | 32.3 (28.2, 36.3) | |||
| Good | 37.9 (34.9, 40.9) | 41.9 (37.7, 46.2) | 35.2 (27.3, 43.2) | 29.5 (23.8, 35.2) | 42.2 (37.8, 46.5) | 31.5 (27.5, 35.6) | |||
| Fair or poor | 23.5 (21.0, 26.0) | 26.6 (22.5, 30.7) | 18.3 (10.2, 26.3) | 22.1 (15.7, 28.6) | 27.3 (23.0, 31.6) | 18.1 (13.0, 23.2) | |||
| Blood pressure, mmHg, mean (95% CI) | |||||||||
| Systolic | 110.9 (110.0, 111.8) | 110.1 (109.1, 111.0) | 113.3 (110.1, 116.4) | .055 | 111.4 (109.7, 113.2) | .151 | 110.5 (109.5, 111.5) | 111.3 (109.6, 112.9) | .411 |
| Diastolic | 67.0 (66.1, 67.9) | 65.6 (64.8, 66.3) | 69.2 (67.1, 71.2) | <.001 | 68.8 (67.6, 70.0) | <.001 | 65.8 (64.9, 66.8) | 68.7 (67.3, 70.1) | <.001 |
| LDL, mg/dL, mean (95% CI)c | 108.3 (104.7, 111.8) | 111.7 (107.4, 116.0) | 101.8 (92.5, 111.1) | <.05 | 103.5 (96.8, 110.2) | <.05 | 110.4 (105.7, 115.0) | 105.7 (100.9, 110.5) | .130 |
| Currently smoking, % (95% CI) | 14.8 (12.7, 16.9) | 11.3 (8.8, 13.7) | 9.7 (5.4, 14.0) | .547 | 27.5 (19.7, 35.2) | <.001 | 11.1 (8.6, 13.6) | 21.2 (15.8, 26.7) | <.01 |
| Number of days drank alcoholic beverages during past 12 mo, % (95% CI)de | <.01 | <.001 | <.001 | ||||||
| 0 | 52.8 (47.5, 58.1) | 63.1 (56.6, 69.5) | 42.1 (31.9, 52.4) | 29.9 (21.6, 38.2) | 61.7 (54.5, 68.9) | 37.1 (30.1, 44.1) | |||
| 1–11 | 17.8 (14.6, 20.9) | 19.6 (15.3, 23.9) | 16.2 (6.6, 25.8) | 14.7 (8.2, 21.2) | 20.7 (16.4, 24.9) | 13.2 (9.0, 17.3) | |||
| 12–51 | 17.8 (15.1, 20.5) | 12.8 (9.8, 15.9) | 24.6 (12.5, 36.6) | 29.9 (23.1, 36.6) | 12.5 (9.8, 15.2) | 26.3 (20.5, 32.1) | |||
| ≥ 52 | 11.6 (8.6, 14.7) | 4.5 (1.5, 7.6)f | 17.1 (6.5, 27.7) | 25.5 (15.5, 35.5) | 5.2 (1.8, 8.6)f | 23.5 (16.5, 30.4) | |||
| Body mass index, % (95% CI)dg | .789 | .073 | .233 | ||||||
| < 25.0 kg/m2 | 31.6 (27.4, 35.7) | 32.6 (25.9, 39.3) | 30.9 (16.8, 45.0) | 30.6 (20.1, 41.0) | 32.5 (25.6, 39.4) | 33.0 (25.7, 40.3) | |||
| 25.0–29.9 kg/m2 | 33.2 (29.4, 36.9) | 36.9 (30.7, 43.0) | 37.4 (20.2, 54.6) | 19.7 (11.4, 28.1) | 36.9 (31.5, 42.4) | 24.6 (17.9, 31.2) | |||
| > 29.9 kg/m2 | 35.3 (30.4, 40.2) | 30.6 (24.4, 36.8) | 31.7 (17.9, 45.5) | 49.7 (38.5, 60.9) | 30.6 (24.5, 36.6) | 42.5 (34.2, 50.7) | |||
| Leisure physical activity, % (95% CI)hi | |||||||||
| No activity | 47.1 (42.7, 51.5) | 58.4 (53.3, 63.4) | 32.2 (23.1, 41.4) | <.001 | 29.4 (22.8, 36.0) | <.001 | 59.0 (53.9, 64.1) | 27.7 (23.0, 32.4) | <.001 |
| Moderate | 39.6 (35.7, 43.4) | 30.5 (25.8, 35.2) | 49.1 (38.9, 59.2) | <.01 | 55.1 (47.3, 62.9) | <.001 | 30.2 (25.4, 34.9) | 55.5 (50.3, 60.7) | <.001 |
| Vigorous | 28.0 (25.0, 31.0) | 19.1 (15.2, 22.9) | 37.8 (30.0, 45.7) | <.001 | 43.0 (36.5, 49.5) | <.001 | 19.0 (15.2, 22.8) | 42.7 (37.0, 48.5) | <.001 |
Note. CI = confidence interval; LDL = low-density lipoprotein. Respondents were both interviewed and examined; percentages were age-adjusted to the year 2000 standard US population by using age groups 15–19, 20–29, 30–39, and 40–44 years; missing data and refused or “don't know” responses were not included in the analyses. Sample sizes for generation categories were: first generation, n = 795; second generation, n = 464; and third generation, n = 386. Sample sizes for language preference categories were: respondent used more Spanish, n = 815; respondent used more English, n = 753.
Some Mexican American women did not meet the study group definitions and were included only in the All Mexican American Women column; therefore, counts in the Generational Status and Language Preference columns do not equal the number in the All Mexican American Women column.
Statistical test compared the given group to the referent group. The Satterthwaite adjusted F statistic was used for pairwise comparison of multilevel variables; the t test was used for other comparisons.
One half sample; fasting weights were used.
Includes only women aged 20–44 years (n = 877); percentages were age-adjusted to the year 2000 standard US population by using age groups 20–29, 30–39, and 40–44 years.
Includes zero days.
Estimate was considered unreliable because of a relative standard error > 30.
Excludes pregnant females; body mass index categories: < 25.0 kg/m2= underweight or normal weight; 25.0 kg/m2–29.9 kg/m2= overweight; ≥ 30.0 kg/m2 = obese.
Includes only women aged 16–44 years (n = 1463); percentages were age-adjusted to the year 2000 standard US population by using age groups 16–19, 20–29, 30–39, and 40–44 years.
Leisure physical activity: moderate = done for at least 10 minutes causing only light sweating or a slight to moderate increase in breathing or heart rate; vigorous = done for at least 10 minutes causing heavy sweating or large increases in breathing or heart rate; participants could report both moderate and vigorous activity.