Correlates of body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio among Mexican women in the United States: Implications for intervention development

Ayala, Guadalupe X.; Elder, John P.; Campbell, Nadia R.; Slymen, Donald J.; Roy, Nupur; Engelberg, Moshe; Ganiats, Theodore

doi:10.1016/j.whi.2004.07.003

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Volume 14, Issue 5 , Pages 155-164, September 2004

Correlates of body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio among Mexican women in the United States: Implications for intervention development

Guadalupe X. Ayala, PhD, MPH
- University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, School of Public Health, Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
- Address correspondence to: Guadalupe X. Ayala, PhD, MPH, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, School of Public Health, Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, CB #7440, Rosenau Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7440
John P. Elder, PhD, MPH
- San Diego State University, Center for Behavioral and Community Health Studies, San Diego, California, USA
Nadia R. Campbell, MPH
- San Diego State University, Center for Behavioral and Community Health Studies, San Diego, California, USA
Donald J. Slymen, PhD
- San Diego State University, Center for Behavioral and Community Health Studies, San Diego, California, USA
Nupur Roy, MD, MPH
- San Diego State University, Center for Behavioral and Community Health Studies, San Diego, California, USA
Moshe Engelberg, PhD, MPH
- ResearchWorks, Inc., San Diego, California, USA
Theodore Ganiats, MD
- University of California, San Diego, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, La Jolla, California, USA

Received 1 April 2004; received in revised form 28 June 2004; accepted 15 July 2004.

Introduction

This study contributes to our understanding of acculturation and obesity by examining the association between several measures of acculturation, including a bidimensional scale of acculturation, body mass index (BMI), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR).

Methods

Exploratory analyses were performed using baseline data from 357 Mexican women recruited into a Spanish-language randomized community trial. The women were randomly sampled by telephone and interviewed in their homes. Women’s height, weight, waist, and hip were measured to obtain estimates of their BMI and WHR. A face-to-face interview collected data on dietary intake, physical activity, acculturation, and other demographic and psychosocial variables.

Results

Less than a quarter of the women were normal weight (39% overweight and 41% obese). Univariate analyses revealed that more years living in the United States and less integration into the Anglo culture were associated with a larger BMI and WHR. However, in the multivariate analyses, significant correlates of a larger BMI were less moderate physical activity and unemployment. There were trends linking a larger BMI with older age, no vigorous physical activity, more energy intake, and less integration into the Anglo culture. These same variables plus less household income were associated with a higher WHR. Exploratory analyses on acculturation revealed that bicultural Mexican-American women were more educated, more likely to be employed, reported a higher household income, and perceived fewer barriers to a healthy diet compared with traditional Mexican women.

Conclusions

Intervention designed to prevent overweight/obesity should consider promoting maintenance of Mexican cultural practices, as well as teach women how to effectively integrate into the Anglo culture.