ResearchCurrent ResearchCountry of Birth and Language Are Uniquely Associated with Intakes of Fat, Fiber, and Fruits and Vegetables among Mexican-American Women in the United States
Section snippets
Sample
Data were taken from the 2000 NHIS and its Cancer Control Module. The NHIS is conducted annually by the National Center for Health Statistics as the principal source of self-reported health behaviors and conditions of the civilian, noninstitutionalized household population of the United States (32). It is a nationally representative, cross-sectional household survey based on a stratified, clustered, and multistaged sampling design (32). Data are collected in the subjects’ homes through
Results
Table 1 reports selected demographic characteristics of the 1,245 nonpregnant Mexican-American women between 25 and 64 years of age in the analysis. Table 1 shows these characteristics for four subgroups of women classified by country of birth and two language acculturation categories. Table 2 reports weighted averages for the three dietary intake estimates and 16 annual food consumption frequencies for each of the four subgroups of Mexican-American women. Least-squares regression coefficients
Discussion
The findings demonstrate that increased acculturation as measured by both country of birth and language acculturation among Mexican-American women in the United States is associated with primarily unfavorable diet outcomes. These findings are directionally consistent with other research that has shown increased acculturation measured by country of birth, language use, or generational status is associated with increases in percent energy from fat, and decreases in the intake of fiber and fruits
Conclusions
These findings support the study’s hypothesis and others’ suggestions that including country of birth and language provides a richer description of the association between acculturation and diet compared to including a single measure (3, 8). Women who were born in the United States consumed a greater percentage of energy from fat than their Mexican-born counterparts. The US-born women and women with greater language acculturation consumed less fiber. Women with increasing language acculturation
J. Karas Montez is a doctoral student, Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin.
References (38)
- et al.
Differences in cancer risk-related behaviors in Latino and Anglo adults
Prev Med
(1991) - et al.
Intake and food sources of macronutrients among older Hispanic adults: Association with ethnicity, acculturation, and length of residence in the United States
J Am Diet Assoc
(2000) - et al.
Estimates of nutrient intake from a food frequency questionnaire: The 1987 National Health Interview Survey
J Am Diet Assoc
(1992) - et al.
Effect of length of US residence on food group intake in Mexican and Puerto Rican women
J Nutr Educ
(1994) - et al.
Hispanic/white differences in dietary fat intake among low educated adults and children
Prev Med
(1994) - et al.
Acculturation and overweight-related behaviors among Hispanic immigrants to the US: The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health
Soc Sci Med
(2003) - et al.
Higher fat intake and lower fruit and vegetables intakes are associated with greater acculturation among Mexicans living in Washington State
J Am Diet Assoc
(2004) - et al.
Dietary acculturation: Applications to nutrition research and dietetics
J Am Diet Assoc
(2002) - et al.
Dietary intake estimates in the National Health Interview Survey, 2000: Methodology, results and interpretation
J Am Diet Assoc
(2005) - et al.
Major approaches to the measurement of acculturation among ethnic minority populations: A content analysis and an alternative empirical strategy in acculturation
Race/ethnicity, nativity, and US adult mortality
Soc Sci Q
Acculturation and Latino health in the United States: A review of the literature and its sociopolitical context
Annu Rev Public Health
All-cause and cause-specific mortality of immigrants and native born in the United States
Am J Public Health
Dietary practices, alcohol consumption, and smoking behavior: Ethnic, sex, and acculturation differences
J Natl Cancer Inst Monogr
Dietary intake among Mexican-American women: Generational differences and a comparison with White Non-Hispanic women
Am J Public Health
Differences in energy, nutrient, and food intakes in a US sample of Mexican-American women and men: Findings from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1994
Am J Epidemiol
Dietary acculturation among Latinos of Mexican descent
Nutr Today
Dietary patterns and acculturation among immigrants from El Salvador
Nutr Today
Dietary intake patterns and acculturation levels of Hispanic immigrant men: A pilot study
Hisp J Behav Sci
Cited by (83)
Differences in Infant Diet Quality Index by Race and Ethnicity Predict Differences in Later Diet Quality
2023, Journal of NutritionAssociations Between Acculturation and Weight, Diet Quality, and Physical Activity Among Latina Breast Cancer Survivors: The ¡Mi Vida Saludable! Study
2022, Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and DieteticsDietary Patterns in Latinx Groups
2021, Journal of NutritionCorrelates of Prenatal Diet Quality in Low-Income Hispanic Women
2019, Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and DieteticsCitation Excerpt :Women born outside of the continental United States had higher intakes of vegetables, greens and beans, and seafood and plant proteins, and lower intake of added sugars compared with women born in the United States. Other studies confirm that women born outside the United States had greater intake of vegetables and legumes.60-62 There was no association between years living in the United States and diet quality.
J. Karas Montez is a doctoral student, Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin.
K. Eschbach is associate director, Institute for Demographic and Socioeconomic Research, University of Texas at San Antonio; at the time of the study, he was associate professor, Department of Internal Medicine/Geriatrics, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston.