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Research has demonstrated a link between acculturation to the mainstream society and eating disorder behaviors among Mexican American women. The current study sought to identify mediators in the relationship between acculturation to the mainstream society and eating disorder behaviors, including internalization of sociocultural pressures of thinness and body dissatisfaction, to help inform research of the processes by which this relationship occurs. In the spirit of working from a strength-based framework, the study also sought to identify unique cultural variables that served as moderators in the relationship between acculturation to the mainstream society and internalization of sociocultural pressures of thinness. The study included a sample of 209 Mexican American women from Latino cultural organizations and Latino studies programs in universities across the U.S. Path analysis was conducted to test the overall model fit as well as specific hypothesized effects. Findings suggested that the model was not a goodfit to the data. In addition, results indicated that internalization did not mediate the association between acculturation and body dissatisfaction, whereas body dissatisfaction did mediate the association between internalization and both anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Results also indicated that ethnic identity did not moderate the link between acculturation and internalization, while familism did moderate this link. Further, acculturation was not significantly related to anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, ethnic identity was significantly related to internalization, and familism was not significantly related to internalization. Findings are discussed in the context of multicultural research and theory as it relates to Mexican American women's lived experiences.
Eating disorders, once conceptualized as a White women's disease, have been on the rise affecting both women and men of diverse ethnic backgrounds. Although Asian Americans represent the third largest ethnic minority group in the U.S., little attention has been paid on the development of disordered eating among Asian Americans. Given the central role and cultural meanings behind food and eating in Asian cultures, the use of food as a culturally appropriate, yet ineffective, coping mechanism calls for deeper understanding of cultural influences and variations of eating psychopathology among Asian Americans. The present study performed a secondary data analysis on a nationally representative longitudinal sample of adolescents in the U.S (Add Health). The study examined the moderating effects of ethnicity and acculturation on the relationship between enmeshed family dynamics ( overprotectiveness and conflict avoidance) and characteristics of disordered eating (weight control behaviors, binge eating, past eating disorder diagnosis, and disordered eating behaviors). Among White adolescents, point-biserial correlations showed a weak relationship between overprotectiveness and binge eating. It also showed a weak relationship between conflict avoidance and weight control behaviors and overall disordered eating behaviors among White adolescents. There is no statistical significance in the relationships between enmeshed family dynamics and disordered eating among the Asian American counterparts. Similarly, logistic regression analyses yielded no statistically significant moderating effects of ethnicity and acculturation. The lack of statistically and clinically significant findings is likely due to inadequacies in operationalization of measurement. Future research with improved sample sizes and measurement approaches are needed to replicate the current study and to further explore the relationship between family dynamics and disordered eating among Asian Americans.
This groundbreaking two-volume handbook provides a comprehensive collection of evidence-based analyses of the causes, treatment, and prevention of eating disorders. A two-volume handbook featuring contributions from an international group of experts, and edited by two of the leading authorities on eating disorders and body image research Presents comprehensive coverage of eating disorders, including their history, etiological factors, diagnosis, assessment, prevention, and treatment Tackles controversies and previously unanswered questions in the field Includes coverage of DSM-5 and suggestions for further research at the end of each chapter 2 Volumes
Acculturation has been associated with health behaviors, and to a lesser extent, health outcomes among Latinos; however, inconsistencies exist regarding the nature of these relationships. Moreover, little is known about the underlying mechanisms linking acculturation to Latino health outcomes. The current study examined the relationship between acculturation, behavioral risk factors, and cardio-metabolic dysfunction in Mexican American women, and evaluated the contribution of social and economic pathways to observed associations. Participants were a random sample of 302 Mexican American women (mean age 49.77 years), recruited from communities with wide-ranging socioeconomic status (SES) located on the United States (US) side of the Tijuana (Mexico) - San Diego (US) border. Women underwent a clinical exam and completed a battery of questionnaires including demographic (age, US exposure, education, and income), cultural (language acculturation, familism, fatalism, religiosity), social (social support, sociability), and behavioral (leisure-time physical activity, sedentary behavior, walking, fruit and vegetable servings, and dietary fat) variables. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) and structural equation models (SEMs) were performed in the total sample. CFAs revealed single latent constructs for English language acculturation (childhood language, English proficiency, and adult language patterns), SES (education and income), resilient cultural values (familism and religiosity), and social resources (social support and sociability). SEMs showed statistically significant direct effects of English language acculturation to more sedentary behavior and resilient cultural values to more self-reported walking. In addition, the indirect effects of US exposure to more sedentary behavior through language acculturation, English language acculturation to more sedentary behavior through SES, and resilient cultural values to more fruit and vegetable servings through social resources were also significant (CFI = 0.90, RMSEA = .10, SRMR = 0.04). Finally, significant mediated effects were found for English language acculturation to lower cardio-metabolic dysfunction via higher SES, and higher SES to lower cardio-metabolic dysfunction via lower fatalism (CFI= .89, RMSEA = .11, SRMR = .04). Behavioral variables did not appear to mediate the acculturation and cardio-metabolic dysfunction relationship. Acculturation and related cultural variables were associated with behavioral risk factors and cardio-metabolic dysfunction in middle-aged Mexican American women. SES and social resources may represent relevant pathways in explaining these associations.
In this dissertation, I seek to examine changes in diet and other food behaviors that take place within and across generations of Mexican immigrants in the U.S.I present four studies, each of which addresses a set of common hypotheses. My first hypothesis is that well-documented shifts in diet that occur as Mexican immigrants spend time in the U.S and become more acculturated may represent just one aspect of a broader shift in food behaviors. I use data from the 2005-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and survey data that were collected as part of a community intervention study in East Los Angeles, California (East L.A. Community Survey) to examine the relationship between linguistic acculturation and a variety of food purchasing, preparation, and consumption behaviors among Mexican Americans. I present evidence of a broad shift in food behaviors as Mexican Americans acculturate, characterized by decreased home meal preparation and increased reliance on prepared and processed foods from restaurants and other food sources. My second hypothesis is that not all changes in food behaviors that occur within and across immigrant generations are the result of exposure to and adoption of U.S. culture, and thus should not be thought of as `dietary acculturation.' Rather, I argue that much of the change in food behaviors that occurs among Mexican immigrants and their offspring may result from shifts in social characteristics such as income, education, and urban exposure. For example, many immigrants migrate from rural areas in Mexico to large urban areas in the U.S., and educational attainment and socioeconomic status improve quickly among immigrants and their offspring. I argue that these important social factors would affect food behaviors in any country, and thus it is important to differentiate between their influence and shifts in food behaviors caused by exposure to and adoption of U.S. culture. I investigate my second hypothesis using data from adult participants in the 2006 Encuesta Nacional de Salud y Nutrición (National Health and Nutrition Study), a large population-based study conducted in Mexico. I examine patterns in food behaviors among Mexican adults, finding that food spending and consumption of foods prepared outside of the home increase dramatically with income, education, and urban versus rural residence. Thus, my findings suggest that many of the social differences between more-acculturated Mexican Americans from their less-acculturated counterparts would result in large social gradients in food behaviors within the Mexican population, even in the absence of exposure to and adoption of U.S. culture. I also examine my second hypothesis using data from the 2005-2010 NHANES and the East L.A. Community Survey. I assess whether any observed relationship between linguistic acculturation and food behaviors is explained by income, education, and other sociodemographic differences between more- and less-acculturated Mexican Americans. My findings suggest that much of the relationship between linguistic acculturation and food behaviors is explained by these other social factors, and thus not all changes in food behaviors that occur within and across immigrant generations should be labeled as 'dietary acculturation.'
Acculturation processes involve adaptation from the culture of origin to the host culture. As a result, foreign born Latinos experience a shift in norms, values, behaviors, and attitudes towards non-Latino (Western) culture when relocating to the United States. Acculturation among Latina women has been associated with behaviors contributing to obesity and may affect dieting behaviors. Behavior change interventions targeting weight loss through diet achieve moderate short term weight loss. Changes, however, are not sustained and disrupt homeostasis. In contrast, intuitive eating offers a non-dieting approach to weight management teaching participants to eat according to physiological hunger and satiety cues. Intuitive eating has been associated with improved physiological and mental health outcomes. A convenience sample of 54 Latina women completed surveys and anthropometric measurements at baseline as part of Valorando Nuestros Cuerpos (Valuing Our Bodies) pilot study. This aim of this study was to assess the relationship between acculturation and intuitive eating among Latina women residing near the United States-Mexico border using a cross-sectional survey. This study examined the relationship between acculturation and intuitive eating using multiple measures of acculturation including Marin's Bi-dimensional Acculturation Scale (BAS), country of birth, years of residence and age at arrival among foreign born, and the Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2). Pearson's and Spearman's correlation coefficients and a multiple linear regression were run to assess the significance of the variables representing acculturation and intuitive eating (IE). Results indicated the majority of the sample was foreign born, overweight or obese, dominant in Latino culture according to the BAS, and relatively high intuitive eating scores. Contrary to the hypothesis, analyses found no significant relationship between acculturation and intuitive eating. However, the relationship between BMI and intuitive eating approached significance. Possible reasons for lack of significance include volunteer bias from convenience sampling, frequent border crossing, and low levels of acculturation. Further research is needed to validate the translation of the complete IES-2 scale into Spanish and to include a group of Latina women with more variance in generations and ethnic groups. Despite a lack of statistical significance, intuitive eating remains a promising approach to weight maintenance for Latina women.
Research has shown there is an association between acculturation and birth outcomes. Women who are more acculturated in the United States have worse birth outcomes than those who are less acculturated. The purpose of this current study was to, first, examine the association between acculturation variables and prenatal care and health behaviors. And second, to examine the moderation effects of family relationships and relationships with focal children’s fathers on the relationships between acculturation and prenatal care and health behaviors. Data from the Baseline surveys of the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study were used. Binary logistic regressions were run to determine the relationships between those variables. Results indicated there was no significant relationship between the acculturation variables and prenatal care; however, increased religious attendance and Spanish as the preferred language were significantly associated with decreased odds that women would engage in risky health behaviors. Binary logistic regressions indicated that neither family support nor relationships with focal children’s fathers significantly moderated the association between the main effects. Additional binary logistic regressions were run to determine if the moderators were significantly associated with prenatal care and/or risky health behaviors. Results show relationships with focal children’s fathers decreased the odds that women would partake in risky health behaviors during pregnancy.