Exploring the Impact of Sociopsychological Factors on A1c Levels in at Risk and Prediabetic Latinx Individuals

A leading chronic disease within the United States, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) disproportionately affects the Latinx-American population. Given that prediabetes is closely correlated to the eventual development of T2D, this paper examines the effects of five sociopsychological variables - socioeconomic status, acculturation, education, exercise behavior, and high caloric intake - as associated with levels of glycosylated hemoglobin (A1c), among prediabetic Latinx adults to identify which of these five factors exhibits the strongest association, and is thereby the strongest risk factor for the development of T2D. Accordingly, the overarching research question for the study is the following: “Which of these five identified variables has the strongest correlation with levels of A1c among prediabetic Latinx adults, both men and women?” 35 cases of adult Latinx American individuals with a known history of prediabetes were analyzed to form the database for the study. Initial correlations matrices served as an exploratory analysis, and affirmed expected findings of a strongly negative correlation between each of the following three variables – household income, acculturation, and high caloric intake – and A1c levels. The revised final multiple regression model confirmed a negative correlation between acculturation and A1c levels, while also demonstrating a positive correlation between both health motivation and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in regards to A1c levels. These observations demonstrate the need for further research to better understand these correlations, and thereby improve health disparities for the Latinx-American community as a whole.