Association between Subjective Social Status and Emotional Eating in US Latinx Adults

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the association between subjective social status (SSS) and emotional eating (EE) among US Latinx adults. METHODS: The sample included 584 Latinx adults recruited between September 2011 and May 2013 from a community health center serving a large portion of the Latinx community in Lawrence, MA. Data was used from the Latino Health and Well-being Study. SSS was measured with the MacArthur's social ladder using four different scales (familial SSS from 0- 12 years, familial SSS from 13–18 years, current neighborhood SSS-within Lawrence, MA, and current societal SSS-within the US). EE was measured with the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire R18-V2 and was categorized into no EE, low EE, and high EE. Adjusted (sex, age, income, education, employment and marital status, body mass index, Latinx ethnic group, and place of birth) multinomial regression models were used to examine the associations between each SSS ladder and EE. RESULTS: About 50% of the sample were female, 73% were of Dominican origin, and 52% had less than a high school education. Approximately 27% and 34% experienced low and high EE, respectively. In adjusted models, each unit increase in the neighborhood SSS ladder was associated with 11% lower odds of low EE vs. no EE (OR: 0.89; 95% CI (0.81–0.97)). Each unit increase in neighborhood SSS was associated with 14% lower odds of high EE vs. no EE (OR: 0.86; 95% CI (0.79–0.94)). Similarly, each unit increase in the societal SSS ladder was associated with 10% lower odds of low EE vs. no EE (OR: 0.90; 95% CI (0.82–0.99)) and with 16% lower odds of high EE vs. no EE (OR: 0.84; 95% CI (0.76–0.93)). Familial SSS at 0–12 y and 13–18 y were not significantly associated with EE. CONCLUSIONS: In a sample of US Latinx adults, greater current neighborhood and societal SSS were associated with lower odds of low and high EE (vs. no EE), but past familial SSS was not. Future research is needed to confirm our findings and to evaluate potential mechanisms explaining this relationship. FUNDING SOURCES: The Latino Health and Well-being Study was funded by NIH-NIMHD.