Maternal Blood Pressure and Birth Weight Associations in U.S.-Born and Foreign-Born Latinas

Details

• Personal Author:
  Campos B ; Dvorak R ; Hilmert CJ ; Schenker M ; Strahm AM
• Description:
  Objectives: Research suggests that acculturating to the United States is detrimental for immigrants' health. Consistent with this pattern, higher levels of U.S. acculturation among Latina-American women have been associated with giving birth to lower birth weight babies. The mechanisms that shape this shift in pregnancy health are not clear, but researchers have begun to consider the role of physiological systems that are sensitive to social experience. The present study examined the association of cultural orientation with blood pressure (BP) trajectories over the course of pregnancy. Method: In a study of 1,011 U.S.- and foreign-born Latina-American women, cultural orientation was assessed and multiple BP measures were collected throughout pregnancy. Postpregnancy data, including gestational age-adjusted birth weight, were extracted from medical records. Bayesian structural equation models examined average BP and slopes of BP change during pregnancy while accounting for psychosocial stress, support, and pregnancy health-related factors (e.g., maternal age, smoking). Results: We found evidence that greater U.S. orientation was associated with higher diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and steeper increases in DBP, which was associated with less fetal growth. Conclusions: This is the first evidence that BP may mediate the association between cultural orientation and pregnancy outcomes in Latina-American women. These findings advance our understanding of the biopsychosocial pathways through which acculturation to the U.S. links with health. As scholars seek to better understand the influence of U.S. acculturation on health, focusing on the cardiovascular system and other physiological systems that are sensitive to social experience is warranted and likely to prove valuable. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Mental Health Minority Health Nervous System Occupational Health Pregnancy Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Pregnancy Birth Weight Blood Pressure Latinas Mental Health Minority Health Psychology Psychosocial Factors Stress U.S. Acculturation
• ISSN:
  1099-9809
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Florida ; North Dakota ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 8 ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20069742
• Citation:
  Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol 2024 Feb; :[Epub ahead of print]
• Contact Point Address:
  Clayton J. Hilmert, Department of Psychology, North Dakota State University, Department 2765, P.O. Box 6050, Fargo, ND 58108-6050, United States
• Email:
  clayton.hilmert@ndsu.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2024
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  University of California - Davis
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20010930
• Source Full Name:
  Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology
• End Date:
  20270929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:45ebda5e37c5cb5eb85abbd4e8dff3593101f70ee7935cc1c82ac4188f0a1a73785d197dc245772ee9642e8d60f93df323c9c34ef773b77bc67b228510154e04
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208104/cdc_208104_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 574.92 KB ]