Abstract 4369768: Parental Education and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in South Asian Young Adults in the United States: The MASALA-2G Second Generation Study

Abstract

Introduction: Social determinants of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk factors in second generation, young adult South Asians have not been investigated. Individual-level educational attainment is a strong upstream social determinant of health; however, parental education may also influence health outcomes. Research Question: Is higher parental education associated with better ASCVD risk factor levels among second generation, young adult South Asians in the United States (US)? Methods: Among US South Asian adults age ≥18 years who participated in the MASALA-2G Second Generation Study as children of participants in the MASALA (Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America) Study, we evaluated the association of paternal and maternal educational attainment (higher: college graduate and higher; lower: some college or less) with ASCVD risk factors using multivariable linear regression adjusted for age, sex, participant’s own educational attainment, and place of birth (in versus outside the US). Results: Among 116 second generation South Asian Americans (mean age 34.3 [SD 9.3] years; 49% female, 51% male), of whom 88% had a college degree or higher, 85% had a father with a college degree or higher, and 72% had a mother with a college degree or higher. Mean (SD) values of ASCVD risk factors in the overall sample were: fasting glucose 91 (7) mg/dL, hemoglobin A1c 5.3% (0.3), total cholesterol 180 (32) mg/dL, non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol 127 (31) mg/dL, triglycerides 103 (53) mg/dL, body mass index 23.5 (4.3) kg/m 2 , waist circumference 89 (13) cm, systolic blood pressure (BP) 115 (12) mmHg, diastolic BP 73 (9) mmHg, and sleep duration 7.1 (1.1) hours. In unadjusted analysis, higher paternal education was associated with lower diastolic BP, higher sleep duration, smaller waist circumference, and smaller waist-hip ratio in the adult child. After adjustment (Table), higher paternal education remained significantly associated with lower diastolic BP (ß -7 mmHg, 95% CI -12, -2), compared with lower paternal education. There was no association between maternal educational attainment and young adult child’s ASCVD risk factors. Conclusions: Among South Asian young adults in the MASALA-2G Study, higher paternal educational attainment may be associated with better ASCVD risk factors, independent of one’s own educational attainment. Future research should investigate how parental education may influence ASCVD risk in this group.