Acculturation and Perceived Ethnic Discrimination Predict Elevated Blood Glucose Level in Sub-Saharan African Immigrants in Australia

Sub-Saharan African migrants experience significant sociocultural challenges, including those related to acculturation and perceived ethnic discrimination (PED), in addition to increased risk of non-communicable diseases, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Although acculturation and PED are each established risk factors for elevated blood glucose level (EGBL) and T2DM, they have not been studied in relation to EBGL risk in a single model. This study aimed to investigate associations between acculturation, PED and EBGL in a sub-Saharan African migrant population in Australia. Face to face survey using a purposive sampling method was used to collect data from 170 adults, aged 18-72 years. A large proportion (41.8%) of the study group was in the integration mode of acculturation, which strongly correlated positively with EBGL/T2DM, although traditional mode correlated inversely with EBGL/T2DM. PED correlated positively with EBG/LT2DM. Immigrants manifesting the integration mode were 4.2 times more likely to have EBGL/T2DM than other acculturation modes. Multiple linear regression showed that the association between integration mode and EBGL/T2DM was mediated by PED. The apparent interaction between PED and acculturation in relation to EBGL/T2DM risk suggests that interventions to lower T2DM risk in this population may benefit from incorporating strategies to address these two important health determinants.