Metabolic Risk and Depression among Elderly Mexican Americans: The Roles of Nativity Status

To evaluate the relationship between metabolic risk (MR) and depression in a sample of older Mexican Americans and examine whether the association differs by age at migration.

Longitudinal study using data from the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (HEPESE) (N=807, mean age = 84.3). The analytical sample was compiled from wave 6 (2007) to wave 7 (2010-2011) of HEPESE. Random-effect logistic regression examined the association between MR and depression and tested the model stratified by nativity status and age at migration.

MR was associated with higher odds of depression for US-born Mexican Americans after controlling for potential confounders. Similarly, among Mexican Americans who migrated before age 20, MR was associated with higher odds of depression.

The findings highlight the importance of age at migration when evaluating the health of foreign-born Mexican Americans from a life-course perspective. Particularly among Mexican Americans who migrated before age 20, those with MR were more vulnerable to depression than their counterparts without MR.