IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/socmed/v75y2012i2p300-310.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Durational and generational differences in Mexican immigrant obesity: Is acculturation the explanation?

Author

Listed:
  • Creighton, Mathew J.
  • Goldman, Noreen
  • Pebley, Anne R.
  • Chung, Chang Y.

Abstract

Using the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey (L.A.FANS-2; n = 1610), we explore the link between Mexican immigrant acculturation, diet, exercise and obesity. We distinguish Mexican immigrants and 2nd generation Mexicans from 3rd+ generation whites, blacks and Mexicans. First, we examine variation in social and linguistic measures by race/ethnicity, duration of residence and immigrant generation. Second, we consider the association between acculturation, diet and exercise. Third, we evaluate the degree to which acculturation, diet, exercise, and socioeconomic status explain the association between race/ethnicity, immigrant exposure to the US (duration since immigration/generation), and adult obesity. Among immigrants, we find a clear relationship between acculturation measures, exposure to the US, and obesity-related behaviors (diet and exercise). However, the acculturation measures do not clearly account for the link between adult obesity, immigrant duration and generation, and race/ethnicity.

Suggested Citation

  • Creighton, Mathew J. & Goldman, Noreen & Pebley, Anne R. & Chung, Chang Y., 2012. "Durational and generational differences in Mexican immigrant obesity: Is acculturation the explanation?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(2), pages 300-310.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:75:y:2012:i:2:p:300-310
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.03.013
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953612002584
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.03.013?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Abraído-Lanza, Ana F. & Chao, Maria T. & Flórez, Karen R., 2005. "Do healthy behaviors decline with greater acculturation?: Implications for the Latino mortality paradox," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(6), pages 1243-1255, September.
    2. Gordon-Larsen, Penny & Harris, Kathleen Mullan & Ward, Dianne S. & Popkin, Barry M., 2003. "Acculturation and overweight-related behaviors among Hispanic immigrants to the US: the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 57(11), pages 2023-2034, December.
    3. Hunt, L.M.Linda M. & Schneider, Suzanne & Comer, Brendon, 2004. "Should "acculturation" be a variable in health research? A critical review of research on US Hispanics," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 59(5), pages 973-986, September.
    4. Alegria, Margarita, 2009. "The challenge of acculturation measures: What are we missing? A commentary on Thomson & Hoffman-Goetz," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(7), pages 996-998, October.
    5. Thomson, Maria D. & Hoffman-Goetz, Laurie, 2009. "Defining and measuring acculturation in public health: A response to Carter-Pokras and Bethune," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(7), pages 999-1001, October.
    6. Rubalcava, L.N. & Teruel, G.M. & Thomas, D. & Goldman, N., 2008. "The healthy migrant effect: New findings from the Mexican Family Life Survey," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 98(1), pages 78-84.
    7. Thomson, Maria D. & Hoffman-Goetz, Laurie, 2009. "Defining and measuring acculturation: A systematic review of public health studies with Hispanic populations in the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(7), pages 983-991, October.
    8. Deon Filmer & Lant Pritchett, 2001. "Estimating Wealth Effects Without Expenditure Data—Or Tears: An Application To Educational Enrollments In States Of India," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 38(1), pages 115-132, February.
    9. Viruell-Fuentes, Edna A., 2007. "Beyond acculturation: Immigration, discrimination, and health research among Mexicans in the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 65(7), pages 1524-1535, October.
    10. Carter-Pokras, Olivia & Bethune, Lisa, 2009. "Defining and measuring acculturation: A systematic review of public health studies with hispanic populations in the united states. A commentary on Thomson and Hoffman-Goetz," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(7), pages 992-995, October.
    11. Crespo, C.J. & Smit, E. & Carter-Pokras, O. & Andersen, R., 2001. "Acculturation and leisure-time physical inactivity in Mexican American adults: Results from NHANES III, 1988-1994," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 91(8), pages 1254-1257.
    12. Wingo, P.A. & Kulkarni, A. & Borrud, L.G. & McDonald, J.A. & Villalobos, S.A. & Green, D.C., 2009. "Health disparities among Mexican American women aged 15-44 years: National health and nutrition examination survey, 1999-2004," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 99(7), pages 1300-1307.
    13. Abraído-Lanza, A.F. & Armbrister, A.N. & Flórez, K.R. & Aguirre, A.N., 2006. "Toward a theory-driven model of acculturation in public health research," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 96(8), pages 1342-1346.
    14. Zambrana, R.E. & Carter-Pokras, O., 2010. "Role of acculturation research in advancing science and practice in reducing health care disparities among latinos," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 100(1), pages 18-23.
    15. Alberto Palloni & Elizabeth Arias, 2004. "Paradox lost: Explaining the hispanic adult mortality advantage," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 41(3), pages 385-415, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Buttenheim, Alison M. & Pebley, Anne R. & Hsih, Katie & Chung, Chang Y. & Goldman, Noreen, 2013. "The shape of things to come? Obesity prevalence among foreign-born vs. US-born Mexican youth in California," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 1-8.
    2. Mao-Mei Liu & Mathew J. Creighton & Fernando Riosmena & Pau Baizan, 2016. "Prospects for the comparative study of international migration using quasi-longitudinal micro-data," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 35(26), pages 745-782.
    3. Neil K. Mehta & Irma T. Elo & Michal Engelman & Diane S. Lauderdale & Bert M. Kestenbaum, 2016. "Life Expectancy Among U.S.-born and Foreign-born Older Adults in the United States: Estimates From Linked Social Security and Medicare Data," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 53(4), pages 1109-1134, August.
    4. Joshua Wassink, 2018. "Uninsured migrants: Health insurance coverage and access to care among Mexican return migrants," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 38(17), pages 401-428.
    5. Levchenko, Yuliana, 2021. "Aging into disadvantage: Disability crossover among Mexican immigrants in America," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 285(C).
    6. Laura Argys, 2015. "Consequences of the obesity epidemic for immigrants," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 210-210, December.
    7. Sukanya Basu & Michael A. Insler, 2018. "The Body Mass Index Assimilation of US Immigrants: Do Diet and Exercise Contribute?," Eastern Economic Journal, Palgrave Macmillan;Eastern Economic Association, vol. 44(3), pages 337-363, June.
    8. Noreen Goldman & Anne Pebley & Mathew Creighton & Graciela Teruel & Luis Rubalcava & Chang Chung, 2014. "The Consequences of Migration to the United States for Short-Term Changes in the Health of Mexican Immigrants," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 51(4), pages 1159-1173, August.
    9. Soto, Sandra H. & Arredondo, Elva M. & Shakya, Holly B. & Roesch, Scott & Marcus, Bess & Parada, Humberto & Ayala, Guadalupe X., 2019. "Family environment, children's acculturation and mothers' dietary intake and behaviors among Latinas: An autoregressive cross-lagged study," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 228(C), pages 93-102.
    10. Ullmann, S. Heidi & Goldman, Noreen & Pebley, Anne R., 2013. "Contextual factors and weight change over time: A comparison between U.S. Hispanics and other population sub-groups," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 40-48.
    11. Bridget K. Gorman & Cynthia Novoa & Rachel Tolbert Kimbro, 2016. "Migration Decisions, Acculturation, and Overweight among Asian and Latino Immigrant Adults in the United States," International Migration Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(3), pages 728-757, September.
    12. Quandt, Sara A. & Grzywacz, Joseph G. & Trejo, Grisel & Arcury, Thomas A., 2014. "Nutritional strategies of Latino farmworker families with preschool children: Identifying leverage points for obesity prevention," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 72-81.
    13. Patler, Caitlin & Laster Pirtle, Whitney, 2018. "From undocumented to lawfully present: Do changes to legal status impact psychological wellbeing among latino immigrant young adults?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 39-48.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Echeverría, Sandra E. & Gundersen, Daniel A. & Manderski, Michelle T.B. & Delnevo, Cristine D., 2015. "Social norms and its correlates as a pathway to smoking among young Latino adults," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 187-195.
    2. Lopez-Class, Maria & Castro, Felipe González & Ramirez, Amelie G., 2011. "Conceptions of acculturation: A review and statement of critical issues," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 72(9), pages 1555-1562, May.
    3. Allen, Jennifer Dacey & Caspi, Caitlin & Yang, May & Leyva, Bryan & Stoddard, Anne M. & Tamers, Sara & Tucker-Seeley, Reginald D. & Sorensen, Glorian C., 2014. "Pathways between acculturation and health behaviors among residents of low-income housing: The mediating role of social and contextual factors," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 26-36.
    4. Van Hook, Jennifer & Baker, Elizabeth & Altman, Claire E. & Frisco, Michelle L., 2012. "Canaries in a coalmine: Immigration and overweight among Mexican-origin children in the US and Mexico," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(2), pages 125-134.
    5. Viruell-Fuentes, Edna A. & Miranda, Patricia Y. & Abdulrahim, Sawsan, 2012. "More than culture: Structural racism, intersectionality theory, and immigrant health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(12), pages 2099-2106.
    6. Lebrun, Lydie A., 2012. "Effects of length of stay and language proficiency on health care experiences among Immigrants in Canada and the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(7), pages 1062-1072.
    7. Stoddard, Pamela, 2009. "Risk of smoking initiation among Mexican immigrants before and after immigration to the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(1), pages 94-100, July.
    8. Esme Fuller Thomson & Amani Nuru-Jeter & Dawn Richardson & Ferrah Raza & Meredith Minkler, 2013. "The Hispanic Paradox and Older Adults’ Disabilities: Is There a Healthy Migrant Effect?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-29, May.
    9. Acevedo-Garcia, Dolores & Sanchez-Vaznaugh, Emma V. & Viruell-Fuentes, Edna A. & Almeida, Joanna, 2012. "Integrating social epidemiology into immigrant health research: A cross-national framework," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(12), pages 2060-2068.
    10. Fox, Molly & Thayer, Zaneta & Wadhwa, Pathik D., 2017. "Assessment of acculturation in minority health research," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 176(C), pages 123-132.
    11. Arévalo, Sandra P. & Tucker, Katherine L. & Falcón, Luis M., 2015. "Beyond cultural factors to understand immigrant mental health: Neighborhood ethnic density and the moderating role of pre-migration and post-migration factors," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 91-100.
    12. Noreen Goldman & Anne Pebley & Mathew Creighton & Graciela Teruel & Luis Rubalcava & Chang Chung, 2014. "The Consequences of Migration to the United States for Short-Term Changes in the Health of Mexican Immigrants," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 51(4), pages 1159-1173, August.
    13. Oh, Hyunsung & Jeong, Chung Hyeon, 2017. "Korean immigrants don't buy health insurance: The influences of culture on self-employed Korean immigrants focusing on structure and functions of social networks," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 191(C), pages 194-201.
    14. Ullmann, S. Heidi & Goldman, Noreen & Pebley, Anne R., 2013. "Contextual factors and weight change over time: A comparison between U.S. Hispanics and other population sub-groups," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 40-48.
    15. John, Dolly A. & de Castro, A.B. & Martin, Diane P. & Duran, Bonnie & Takeuchi, David T., 2012. "Does an immigrant health paradox exist among Asian Americans? Associations of nativity and occupational class with self-rated health and mental disorders," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(12), pages 2085-2098.
    16. Levchenko, Yuliana, 2021. "Aging into disadvantage: Disability crossover among Mexican immigrants in America," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 285(C).
    17. Susan K. Lee & Cheryl M. R. Sulaiman-Hill & Sandra C. Thompson, 2014. "Alcohol Experiences and Concerns of Newly Arrived Migrant Women," SAGE Open, , vol. 4(2), pages 21582440145, April.
    18. Jose N. Martinez & Ernesto Aguayo-Tellez & Erick Rangel-Gonzalez, 2015. "Explaining the Mexican-American Health Paradox Using Selectivity Effects," International Migration Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(4), pages 878-906, December.
    19. Maskileyson, Dina, 2019. "Health trajectories of immigrants in the United States: Does income inequality of country of origin matter?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 230(C), pages 246-255.
    20. Delgado, Melvin & Lundgren, Lena M. & Deshpande, Abhijit & Lonsdale, Joya & Purington, Timothy, 2008. "The association between acculturation and needle sharing among Puerto Rican injection drug users," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 83-91, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:75:y:2012:i:2:p:300-310. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/315/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.