Social Influence and Motivation to Change Health Behaviors among Mexican-Origin Adults: Implications for Diet and Physical Activity

Abstract

Purpose-To evaluate whether influence from social network members is associated with motivation to change dietary and physical activity behaviors.Design-Baseline assessment followed by mailing of family health history-based personalized messages (2 weeks) and follow-up assessment (3 months). Setting-Families from an ongoing population-based cohort in Houston, TX.Subjects-475 adults from 161 Mexican origin families. Out of 347 households contacted, 162 (47%) participated.Measures-Family health history, social networks, and motivation to change behaviors. Analysis-Two-level logistic regression modeling.Results-Having at least one network member who encourages one to eat more fruits and vegetables (p=.010) and to engage in regular physical activity (p=.046) was associated with motivation to change the relevant behavior. About 40% of the participants did not have encouragers for these behaviors. NIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript physical activity as national priority goals.2 The prevalence of obesity is higher among Mexican-Americans compared to non-Hispanic whites.1 In order to eliminate health disparities, culturally relevant intervention strategies for this high-risk group need to be identified. Conclusions-IdentificationSocial interactions impact individuals' health behaviors.3 Close social relationships (e.g., family, friends) are especially important to Mexican Americans because of the cultural belief that emphasizes the importance of family (familismo).4 Given the limited success of previous interventions that focus on education and changes in environmental factors,5 considering social influence from network members provides a potentially culturally appropriate strategy to motivate individual behavior change in this population.One's perceptions about the likelihood of performing a health-related behavior has consistently been the most important predictor of behavioral changes.6 Contemplation of a behavior is an essential step toward preparing individuals to adopt the behavior.7 Thus, investigating the factors associated with motivation to change health behaviors can inform interventions. We hypothesized that the presence of network members who encouraged engagement in healthy diet and physical activity behaviors would be associated with individuals' motivation to improve those behaviors. METHODS Design and SampleBetween 2008 and 2009, 162 Mexican origin multigenerational families were recruited from an ongoing population-based cohort in Houston, TX.8 Cohort recruitment methods have been described previously.8 At baseline, three or more adults from each family (N=497) reported their age, gender, level of educational attainment, country of birth, and family health history in either English or Spanish. Within two weeks, by mail, individuals received one or more of the following printed materials generated using the CDC's Family Healthware™ tool:9 (a) a pedigree depicting family health history (FHH), (b) health risk assessments for heart disease, diabetes, and canc...

Predictors of parent–child relationships that support physical activity in Mexican–American families

“…These are standard items used to measure encouragement in studies of personal networks, and have been found to be associated with a range of actual and intended health behaviors (Ashida et al, 2010, 2012; Ersig et al, 2009), as well as associated with other communication and support relationships in families (Ashida et al, 2011), providing support for construct validity. Four categories of parent–child dyads were identified from these responses: (1) dyads who shared no encouragement, (2) dyads in which the parent encouraged the child to do PA, (3) dyads in which the child encouraged the parent to do PA, and (4) dyads with reciprocal encouragement (parent and child encourage each other).…”

Promoting Physical Activity With Group Pictures. Affiliation-Based Visual Communication for High-Risk Populations

“…Finally, our studies only focused on persons from a German cultural background, a culture where people might be more individualistic than in other countries. Previous research revealed an interaction between the cultural dimension of individualism and affiliation appeals (Albers-Miller & Gelb, 1996), as well as a higher importance of social motives for physical activities in more collectivistic cultures (Ashida et al, 2012). Thus, further research should consider the effects of affiliation appeals for health communication in different cultures.…”

“…Affiliation motivation, defined as the "concern with establishing, maintaining, or restoring a positive emotional relationship with another person or a group" (Weinberger, Cotler, & Fishman, 2010, p. 72), has been identified as an important behavioral determinant that can be used to motivate people to engage in physical activity (Ashida, Wilkinson, & Koehly, 2012;Cavallo et al, 2014;Rossmann, 2013). Therefore, to reach high-risk target groups, affiliation motivation should be considered as an appeal type in mass media messaging.…”

The Effectiveness of Hyperlipidemia Prevention Intervention Designed to Affect Behavior Change: Focus on Changes in Health Behavior

“…Because most participants in this study had spouses or cohabiting with family members, we assume that they had assistance from family members. It has been reported that family members recommending behavior change acts as motivation [23]. Thus, when implementing intervention for males in Japan, support from spouses and family members who prepare meals is necessary.…”