Socioeconomic status, obesity and non‐insulin dependent diabetes in Mexican Americans in Starr County, Texas

This study seeks the relationship between socioeconomic status (S.E.S.), obesity and non‐insulin dependent diabetes mellitus within the Starr County population of South Texas. The study used data from the first phase of the Diabetes Alert Study, constituting a random sample of 1,926 adult individuals. The prevalence of obesity (Wt/Ht²>30) in this population was twice that of the U.S. population (20–22%), but less than a 30% rate was observed in extended families of diabetics in Starr County. An inverse relationship between socioeconomic status and obesity was found among women (p<0.01) but not men. There was a similar but statistically insignificant trend for diabetes and socio‐economic status in women, suggesting that this association might be secondary to that of obesity and S.E.S. Results support the idea that social and behavioural factors play a role in the occurrence of obesity in the population; but whatever these factors are, they are sex‐specific. The lack of association between S.E.S. and diabetes within this population does not support the role of social stratification in the taller stature of children from families of diabetic probands reported elsewhere.

Key words:

• obesity
• socio‐economic status
• diabetes
• Mexican Americans
• anthropometry