A Comparison of Weight-Related Behaviors of Hispanic Mothers and Children by Acculturation Level

Abstract

Hispanic mothers and children in the United States experience a high prevalence of obesity, which may be affected by maternal acculturation level. Little is known about the association of acculturation on weight-related behaviors. This study describes differences in weight-related behaviors by acculturation level of Hispanic mothers residing in the U.S. and compares them to behaviors of White mothers. Acculturation level was determined using personal acculturation and acculturation environment variables. Cluster analysis of acculturation variables identified three groups of Hispanic mothers: low personal and environmental acculturation (n = 46), high personal and low environmental acculturation (n = 65), and high personal and environmental acculturation (n = 38). Results indicate that, compared to White mothers (n = 340), the least acculturated cluster of Hispanic mothers tended to model physical activity less often and the most acculturated exerted more pressure on children to eat. Mothers in the least acculturated cluster tended to rate children’s health status lower, indicate that children had greater fruit juice and less milk intakes, have more meals in locations associated with less healthy meals, and have the least space and supports for physical activity. Findings highlight relationships between maternal acculturation level and weight-related behaviors and suggest strategies for helping acculturating Hispanic mothers create healthier lifestyles and home environments.

Cultural influences on infant and toddler feeding among low‐income Latinx mothers

“…All participants had low acculturation as measured by the BASH acculturation scale, likely explaining why culture from their country of origin still played a strong role in their dietary and ITF traditions. Indeed, increased cultural influence in less acculturated Latinx immigrants has been documented in other health‐related contexts, like beliefs about breastfeeding, feeding older children, weight status and physical activity (Bigman et al, 2018 ; Delaney et al, 2021 ; Tamayo et al, 2021 ).…”

Between- and within-Group Differences in Fruit and Vegetable Purchases, Consumption, and BMI among Hispanic Farmers’ Market Shoppers Who Use SNAP

“…Poverty rates are high among Hispanic ethnicities, and while SNAP use served as a proxy for low-income in this study, it would have been more informative to know whether level of income or level of poverty was associated with any of the outcomes. Last, we recognize that prior research has explored nativity (e.g., US-born) and acculturation (e.g., first-generation, second-generation) as explanatory characteristics for differences in FV purchasing and consumption among Hispanics [22,[46][47][48][49], however such data were not available for this study. Future studies should consider including survey items that capture these characteristics.…”

Associations between parent–adolescent health-related conversations and mealtime media use among Hispanic families.

“…Despite the need to address obesity in the Hispanic population, few healthy nutrition interventions are culturally tailored to Hispanic families (Delaney et al, 2021). Further, a particular obesity prevention challenge identified by Martinez et al (2017) in a study of Hispanic families, most of them of Mexican descent, is the conflict that overweight is generally perceived as negative or unhealthy in the United States but more accepted in Mexico due to historical times of scarcity.…”