Despite having lower socioeconomic status, Latinos in the US experience fewer adverse health outcomes than non-Latinos. However, they are disproportionately affected by diet-related diseases. Among other racial/ethnic groups, high acculturation and low socioeconomic status are associated with worse dietary intake, yet, few studies have investigated these relationships among Latinos.
Design
2013–2014 NHANES analyzed to examine pathways through which acculturation, income, nativity, and food security are associated with dietary behaviors.
Setting
U.S. population-based survey.
Sample
Survey respondents >18 years old and identified as Latino/Hispanic (N = 1197; 53.88% female; Mage = 44.61).
Measures
Primary language spoken (acculturation), total household income (income), place of birth (nativity), Food security, and the Flexible Consumer Behavior Survey (dietary behavior).
Analysis
Univariate and multivariate regressions in STATA. Covariates include length of time in the US, ethnicity/Hispanic origin (i.e., “Mexican American” or “Other Hispanic”), and gender.
Results
Nativity (β = −1.16; SE = .19; P < .001) and income (β = .39; SE = .07; P < .001) were significant predictors of dietary behavior. Foreign-born Latinos and those with lower income consumed significantly lower numbers of fast-food or pizza. Food security was not a significant predictor of dietary behavior (β = .16; SE = .1; P > .05).
Conclusions
Results suggest that income is not a protective factor against unhealthy dietary behavior and a renewed importance of nativity as a predictor of health behavior among Latinos.
GalloLCPenedoFJEspinosa de los Monterosde losKArguellesW. Resiliency in the face of disadvantage: Do hispanic cultural characteristics protect health outcomes?. J Pers. 2009;77(6):1707-1746. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-6494.2009.00598.
OgdenCLCarrollMDKitBKFlegalKM. Prevalence of childhood and adult obesity in the United States, 2011-2012. JAMA. 2014;311(8):806-814. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2014.732.
AriasEEschbachKSchaumanWSBacklundELSorliePD. The hispanic mortality advantage and ethnic misclassification on US death certificates. Am J Publ Health. 2010;100 Suppl 1(1):S171-S177. DOI: 10.2105/ajph.2008.135863.
6.
BalfourPCJrRuizJMTalaveraGAAllisonMARodriguezCJ. Cardiovascular disease in Hispanics/Latinos in the United States. J Lat Psychol. 2016;4(2):98-113. doi:10.1037/lat0000056.
7.
BorrellLNLancetEA. Race/ethnicity and all-cause mortality in US adults: Revisiting the hispanic paradox. Am J Publ Health. 2012;102(5):836-843. DOI: 10.2105/ajph.2011.300345.
8.
RuizJMCamposBGarciaJJ. Special issue on latino physical health: Disparities, paradoxes, and future directions. J Lat Psychol. 2016;4(2):61-66. DOI: 10.1037/lat0000065.
9.
Medina-InojosaJJeanNCortes-BergoderiMLopez-JimenezF. The hispanic paradox in cardiovascular disease and total mortality. Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 2014;57(3):286-292. doi:10.1016/j.pcad.2014.09.001.
10.
YoungRPHopkinsRJMarslandB. The gut-liver-lung axis. modulation of the innate immune response and its possible role in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2015;54(2):161-169. doi:10.1165/rcmb.2015-0250PS.
11.
HizaHACasavaleKOGuentherPMDavisCA. Diet quality of Americans differs by age, sex, race/ethnicity, income, and education level. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2013;113(2):297-306. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2012.08.011.
12.
WangYChenX. How much of racial/ethnic disparities in dietary intakes, exercise, and weight status can be explained by nutrition- and health-related psychosocial factors and socioeconomic status among US adults?. J Am Diet Assoc. 2011;111(12):1904-1911. doi:10.1016/j.jada.2011.09.03.
13.
PearceJBlakelyTWittenKBartieP. Neighborhood deprivation and access to fast-food retailing: A national study. Am J Prev Med. 2007;32(5):375-382. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2007.01.009.
14.
DrewnowskiAEichelsdoerferP. Can low-income Americans afford a healthy diet?. Nutr Today. 2010;44(6):246-249. doi:10.1097/NT.0b013e3181c29f79.
15.
EversonSAMatySCLynchJWKaplanGA. Epidemiologic evidence for the relation between socioeconomic status and depression, obesity, and diabetes. J Psychosom Res. 2002;53(4):891-895. doi:10.1016/S0022-3999(02)00303-3.
16.
LeungCWWilliamsDRVillamorE. Very low food security predicts obesity predominantly in California Hispanic men and women. Publ Health Nutr. 2012;15(12):2228-2236. DOI: 10.1017/s1368980012000857.
17.
ShalowitzMUEngJSMcKinneyCOKrohnJLapinBWangCH, et al.Food security is related to adult type 2 diabetes control over time in a United States safety net primary care clinic population. Nutr Diabetes. 2017;7(5):e277. doi:10.1038/nutd.2017.18.
18.
TurraCMGoldmanN. Socioeconomic differences in mortality among U.S. adults: Insights into the Hispanic paradox. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2007;62(3):S184-S192. doi:10.1093/geronb/62.3.S184.
19.
Rosero-BixbyLDowWH. Surprising SES gradients in mortality, health, and biomarkers in a Latin American population of adults. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2009;64(1):105-117. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbn004.
20.
BatisCHernandez-BarreraLBarqueraSRiveraJAPopkinBM. Food acculturation drives dietary differences among Mexicans, Mexican Americans, and Non-Hispanic Whites. J Nutr. 2011;141(10):1898-1906. doi:10.3945/jn.111.141473.
21.
ReiningerBLeeMJenningsREvansAVidoniM. Healthy eating patterns associated with acculturation, sex and BMI among Mexican Americans. Publ Health Nutr. 2017;20(7):1267-1278. doi:10.1017/S1368980016003311.
22.
Van HookJGlickJE. Spanning borders, cultures, and generations: A decade of research on immigrant families. J Marriage Fam. 2020;82(1):224-243. DOI: 10.1111/jomf.12621.
23.
DonderoMVan HookJMatinMFriscoMFikruE. Dietary Acculturation and Dietary Quality Among Mexican Children of Immigrants: The Role of Food Settings. Washington, DC: Pop Assoc Am; 2016. https://paa.confex.com/paa/2016/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/7431.
24.
YoshidaYScribnerRChenLBroylesSPhillippiSTsengTS. Role of age and acculturation in diet quality among Mexican Americans: Findings from the national health and nutrition examination survey, 1999-2012. Prev Chronic Dis. 1999-2012;14:E59. doi:10.5888/pcd14.170004.
25.
Abraído-LanzaAFEcheverríaSEFlórezKR. Latino immigrants, acculturation, and health: promising new directions in research. Annu Rev Publ Health. 2016;37(1):219-236. doi:10.1146/annurev-publhealth-032315-021545.
26.
FitzgeraldN. Acculturation, Socioeconomic status, and health among Hispanics. NAPA Bulletin. 2010;34(1):28-46. DOI: 10.1111/j.1556-4797.2010.01050.x.
27.
IsasiCRAyalaGXSotres-AlvarezDMadanatHPenedoFLoriaCM, et al.Is acculturation related to obesity in Hispanic/Latino Adults? results from the Hispanic community health study/study of Latinos. J Obes. 2015;2015:186276. doi:10.1155/2015/186276.
28.
AyalaGXBaqueroBKlingerS. A systematic review of the relationship between acculturation and diet among Latinos in the United States: Implications for future research. J Am Diet Assoc. 2008;108(8):1330-1344. doi:10.1016/j.jada.2008.05.009.
29.
Pérez-EscamillaR. Acculturation, nutrition, and health disparities in Latinos. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011;93(5):1163S-1167S. doi:10.3945/ajcn.110.003467.
30.
Van RompayMIMcKeownNMCastaneda-SceppaCFalcónLMOrdovásJMTuckerKL. Acculturation and sociocultural influences on dietary intake and health status among Puerto Rican adults in Massachusetts. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2012;112(1):64-74. doi:10.1016/j.jada.2011.08.049.
VariyamJNLinBH. NHANES: Development of a flexible consumer behavior survey module. Faseb J. 2007;21(5):A53. DOI: 10.1096/fasebj.21.5.A53-a.
33.
National Research Council (US) Panel on Race. Health in Later Life. In: BulataoRAAndersonNB, eds. Understanding Racial and Ethnic Differences in Health in Late Life: A Research Agenda. Washington (DC: National Academies Press (US; 2004:184. doi:10.17226/11036.
34.
ThomsonMDHoffman-GoetzL. Defining and measuring acculturation: A systematic review of public health studies with Hispanic populations in the United States. Soc Sci Med. 2009;69(7):983-991. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.05.011.
35.
LeeSNguyenHATsuiJ. Interview language: A proxy measure for acculturation among Asian Americans in a population-based survey. J Immigr Minority Health. 2009;13(2):244-252. DOI: 10.1007/s10903-009-9278-z.
36.
CumminsS. Food Deserts. The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Health, Illness, Behavior, and Society. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons; 2014:562-564.
37.
TurrellGHewittBPattersonCOldenburgBGouldT. Socioeconomic differences in food purchasing behaviour and suggested implications for diet-related health promotion. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2002;15(5):355-364. DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-277X.2002.00384.x.
38.
MatthewsKARäikkönenKGalloLKullerLH. Association between socioeconomic status and metabolic syndrome in women: Testing the reserve capacity model. Health Psychol. 2008;27:576-583. DOI: 10.1037/0278-6133.27.5.576.
39.
GalloLCde los MonterosKEFerentVUrbinaJTalaveraG. Education, psychosocial resources, and metabolic syndrome variables in Latinas. Ann Behav Med. 2007;34(1):14-25. doi:10.1007/BF02879917.
40.
ZsembikBAFennellD. Ethnic variation in health and the determinants of health among Latinos. Soc Sci Med. 2005;61(1):53-63. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2004.11.040.
41.
HaasJSLeeLBKaplanCPSonnebornDPhillipsKALiangSY. The association of race, socioeconomic status, and health insurance status with the prevalence of overweight among children and adolescents. Am J Publ Health. 2003;93(12):2105-2110. doi:10.2105/AJPH.93.12.2105.
42.
CurrieJDellaVignaSMorettiEPathaniaV. The Effect of Fast Food Restaurants on Obesity and Weight Gain. Am Econ J: Econ Policy2010;2(3):32-63. doi:10.1257/pol.2.3.32.
