Obesity and Perceived Discrimination of Latinos in the U.S.: Results from NLAAS

Introduction: One-third of Latina and over 40% of Latino Americans are overweight, while nearly 30% of both groups meet the criteria of obesity. Obesity, a significant public-health concern, is associated with premature death, mental health disorders, substance abuse, and  physical complications. Although Latina/o Americans constitute the largest minority population through rapid growing immigration, few studies have explored acculturation-related predictors for obesity in Latina/os, respectively. To address the gap, this study performed gender-specific and whole-group analyses predicting obesity.

Method:  Using the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS), we conducted three sets of logistic regressions to detect the predictive value of acculturation factors, above and beyond that of socio-demographics, for all Latina/os, 1,427 Latinas, and 1,127 Latinos, respectively.

Results: Latina/os reported same level of acculturation stress but Latinos experienced more discrimination. On average, Latinas were older, less educated, less employed, and poorer English proficiency. For all Latina/os, obesity was predicated by discrimination, alongside US-born and either 5-10 years or 21+ years stay in the US. For Latinas, significant positive predictors were perceived discrimination and older age. In all and female groups, Cubans and other Latina/os appeared to have less likelihood for being obese than Mexicans and Puerto Ricans. For Latinos, however, predictors involved US-born and stay patterns, while Cubans and Puerto Ricans were less likely to be obese. 

Conclusions: Distinctive predictive patterns for obesity in the two gender-subgroups suggest varied influence of the acculturation process for Latinas and Latinos, respectively, which may inform gender-specific behavioral intervention in Latina/os in the US.