Women from rural Guatemala who speak Mayan languages have reduced odds of diabetes, hypertension and obesity

TL;DR

Women in rural Guatemala who speak Mayan languages have lower odds of diabetes, hypertension, and obesity compared to Spanish-speaking Indigenous and non-Indigenous women.

Contribution

The study demonstrates a novel association between Mayan language preference and reduced odds of key health conditions in Indigenous women.

Findings

Mayan-speaking Indigenous women had lower odds of diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.

Non-Indigenous women had the highest prevalence of underweight.

Language preference was linked to health outcomes even after adjusting for sociodemographic factors.

Abstract

Indigenous languages are integral to the individual and collective identity of humankind. Health benefits of speaking Indigenous languages have been demonstrated but may also be masked by various forms of linguistic and ethnic discrimination. Guatemala has experienced a significant degree of Mayan language loss and endangerment in recent decades. Recognition of the positive associations between Mayan languages and health may positively influence their trajectory.

We undertook a cross-sectional analysis of a pre-existing dataset from a clinical population of women from Central and Western Guatemala. We compared prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, obesity and underweight among Mayan- and Spanish-speaking Indigenous women, and among non-Indigenous women. We used multiple logistic regression to estimate adjusted odds ratios for each condition by language preference, controlling for confounding factors.

A total of 10,876 women were included in the analysis. Indigenous speakers of Mayan languages had the lowest prevalence of diabetes, hypertension and obesity, and non-Indigenous women had the highest prevalence of underweight. After controlling for sociodemographic factors, Mayan language preference was associated with decreased odds of diabetes [aOR 0.80, 95%CI (0.67, 0.94)], hypertension [aOR 0.80, 95%CI (0.71, 0.91)] and obesity [aOR 0.82, 95%CI (0.74, 0.90)].

The reduced odds of diabetes, hypertension and obesity among women who prefer to speak Mayan languages might be explained by cultural and lifestyle factors that are inextricably tied to Mayan language use. These findings are consistent with several previous studies, although associations between Indigenous languages and obesity have been varied. Our findings strengthen the impetus to maintain the vitality of Mayan languages in Guatemala.

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