Food insecurity, diabetes, and perceived diabetes self-management among Latinos in California: Differences by nativity and duration of residence

Dietary Patterns and Their Association with Cardiometabolic Biomarkers and Outcomes among Hispanic Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013-2018)

Cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders are disproportionately prevalent among Hispanic and Latino adults in the United States. We extracted a posteriori dietary patterns (DPs) among a nationally representative sample of 2049 Hispanic adults using the 2013-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Three primary DPs and their tertiles were identified, and their associations with cardiometabolic outcomes were examined. Those with higher levels of the Solids Fats, Cheeses, Refined Carbohydrates DP were more likely younger, male, and Mexican American. Those with higher levels of the Vegetables DP were more likely female, higher income, and long-term immigrant residents. Those with higher levels of The Plant-Based DP tended to have higher education levels. Higher levels of the Solid Fats, Cheeses, Refined Carbohydrates DP level were positively associated with body mass index (Tertile 2, β: 1.07 [95%CI: 0.14, 1.99]) and negatively associated with lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels (Tertile 3, β: -4.53 [95%CI: -7.03, -2.03]). Higher levels of adherence to the Vegetables DP were negatively associated with body fat (Tertile 3, β: -1.57 [95%CI: -2.74, -0.39]) but also HDL-C (Tertile 2, β: -2.62 [95%CI: -4.79, -0.47]). The Plant-Based DP showed no associations with cardiometabolic outcomes. Future research and interventions should consider these associations as well as the sociodemographic differences within each DP.

Food Insecurity and Type 2 Diabetes Among Latinos: Examining Neighborhood Cohesion as a Protective Factor

Qualitative work has found that Latino food pantry recipients share food and reciprocally provide social support to their food-insecure neighbors. These findings suggest that neighborhood cohesion (NC) may serve as an important community-level resource that Latinos utilize as a coping mechanism when food-insecure. High levels of NC may be a proxy for instrumental support outside the household and act as a buffer against the adverse health effects of food insecurity including type 2 diabetes (T2D), which is highly sensitive to food insecurity. The purpose of this study was to quantitatively test this theory by examining whether NC moderated the association between T2D and food security (FS) status among Latino adults nationwide. We used data from the 2013-2018 National Health Interview Survey (n = 23,478). We found that FS status was associated with T2D prevalence, with Latino adults having a higher odds of T2D if they had low FS or very low FS compared to their FS counterparts. We also found Latinos adults who reported high NC had a lower odds of T2D compared to those who reported low NC. However, we did not find there was significant interaction between FS status and NC on T2D. NC may instead be a precursor to FS status, rather than a buffer of food insecurity on T2D. Low NC may lead to less instrumental support and tangible benefits that determine FS. Additionally, perceived NC might not align with objective NC and T2D may be too distal of a health outcome to test the protective effect of NC.