Acculturation is Associated with Asthma Burden and Pulmonary Function in Latino Youth: The GALA II Study

Publication date: Available online 22 January 2019

Source: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

Author(s): Neeta Thakur, Luisa N. Borrell, Morgan Ye, Sam S. Oh, Celeste Eng, Kelley Meade, Pedro C. Avila, Harold J. Farber, Denise Serebrisky, Emerita Brigino-Buenaventura, William Rodriguez-Cintron, Rajesh Kumar, Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, Shannon Thyne, Saunak Sen, Jose R. Rodriguez-Santana, Esteban G. Burchard

Abstract

Background

Acculturation is an important predictor of asthma in Latino youth, specifically, Mexican Americans. Less is known about acculturation and pulmonary function measures.

Objective

To estimate the association of acculturation measures with asthma and pulmonary function in Latino youth and determine whether this association varies across Latino subgroups.

Methods

We included 1,849 Latinos (302 Caribbean Spanish, 193 Central or South Americans, 1,136 Mexican Americans, 218 other Latino children) aged 8-21 years old from 4 urban regions in the U.S. Acculturation measures include nativity status, age of immigration, language of preference, and generation in the U.S. We used multivariable logistic and linear regression models to quantify the association of acculturation factors with the presence of asthma (case-control study) and pulmonary function (case-only study) adjusting for demographic, socio-environmental, and clinical variables.

Results

For all acculturation measures (nativity status, age of immigration, language of preference, and generation in the U.S.), higher levels of acculturation were associated with greater odds of asthma. Among cases, high (English preference) and medium (equal preference for Spanish and English) levels of language acculturation were associated with decreased bronchodilator response compared with low (Spanish preference) levels (p=0.009 and 0.02, respectively). Similarly, high language acculturation was associated with increased FEV₁ compared with low language acculturation (p=0.02). There was insufficient evidence of heterogeneity for associations across Latino subgroups.

Conclusions

Acculturation was associated with diagnosed asthma and pulmonary function in Latino children and is important factor to consider in the management of Latino youth with asthma.

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