Acculturation Status Research Articles

Leisure-time Physical Activity among Midlife Korean Immigrant Women in the US

The purpose of the study was to investigate the level of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) among midlife Korean American women and to determine the relationships of LTPA with individual characteristics and behavior-specific cognition and affects. A cross-sectional descriptive study of 152 middle-aged Korean American women in Central Texas was conducted using a health-promotion model of physical activity adapted from Pender's Health Promotion Model. The results showed that 32% of the participants were not engaged in any form of exercise. The level of acculturation was not significantly related to the amount of physical activity. After age, level of acculturation, education, income, and marital status were controlled, LTPA was significantly associated with perceived benefits and barriers and social support. Physical inactivity, which was common in this group of immigrant women, warrants further rigorous investigation to determine the dynamics of the women's involvement in more physical activity.

The Relationship Between Shame and Acculturation Among Latino/Chicano Students

Findings are presented from research examining the relationship between shame traits and acculturation status (i.e., Mexican, Anglo, and Bicultural orientations, level/type) of Chicano students (N = 90). Six out of twenty-four shame traits were significantly related to acculturation status; one descriptive-acculturation trait (awareness of ethnic background) lowered shame scores, and place of birth of parents and grandparents affected self-esteem scores. A major consideration in this paper is for educators to evaluate shame and acculturation traits of college students and utilize experiential, adult learning, and strengths-centered approaches to structure teaching in the context of these traits. This study has implications for advancing knowledge on these subjects through replication with diverse student and probability samples.

Acculturation Status and Related Psychological Processes: What Do Ethnic Labels Reveal for Mexican Origin College Students

Acculturation Status and Related Psychological Processes: What Do Ethnic Labels Reveal for Mexican Origin College Students

A person‐centred approach to identifying acculturation groups among Chinese Canadians

This study adopted a person‐centred approach to explore acculturation groups among Chinese Canadians and to examine the demographic and adjustment profiles associated with each group. A total of 234 Chinese Canadian university students completed measures assessing different aspects of their Chinese and Canadian cultural orientations. Cluster analyses identified five acculturation groups: Integrated Group, Separated Group, Assimilated Group, Integrated Group without Chinese Practices, and Marginalized Group with Chinese Practices. Three of the five groups resembled Berry's acculturation model, and the other two groups demonstrated unique constellations of cultural orientations. The differences between the current acculturation groups and Berry's acculturation strategies were due to the differentiation between internal and external domains of cultural orientation, the addition of the domain of ethnic group evaluation, which is not typically included in acculturation research, and the use of cluster analysis, which allows for varying degrees of immersion in multiple domains of acculturation. Expected differences among the five acculturation groups in terms of participants' demographic backgrounds (e.g., length of residence in Canada), language preferences, and psychological adjustment supported the validity of the cluster solution. As expected, members of the Marginalized Group with Chinese Practices, the largest single group in the current sample, reported poorer adjustment than the Assimilated Group and the Integrated Group without Chinese Practices. The results of this study highlight the value of simultaneously considering multiple domains of acculturation and argue against research methods that assume acculturation status based on background factors such as place of birth or language use. Implications of these findings for understanding the cultural adaptation of Chinese Canadians are discussed.

Koreans’ Use of Medical Services in Seoul, Korea and California

This study assessed the types of health care services used by Korean immigrants, and differences in use between different countries, genders, health insurance status, acculturation status, and cardiovascular risk. Participant selection used probability sampling to represent the adult populations of California, United States, and Seoul, Republic of Korea. A telephone survey was administered to 2,830 adult Korean-Californians and 500 adult Koreans living in Seoul. Female gender was significantly associated with higher use of outpatient services, ER usage, and hospitalization. Californian residence was significantly associated with higher outpatient usage and lower hospitalization rates. Health insurance was associated with higher allopathic health care utilization, and lower traditional health care usage, and acculturation with lower traditional health care usage. Higher self-reported cardiac risk factors were associated with lower allopathic and higher traditional health care. This suggests barriers to allopathic health care, but not traditional health care, for Koreans living in California without health insurance.

Longitudinal effects of pro‐tobacco and anti‐tobacco messages on adolescent smoking susceptibility

We examined the longitudinal impact of self-reported exposure to pro- and anti-tobacco media on adolescents' susceptibility to smoking, using in-school surveys from a culturally diverse sample. Ethnicity and acculturation also were examined as potential moderators. Middle-school students (N = 2,292) completed self-report questionnaires during the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. Chi-square analyses were conducted to determine whether reported exposure to pro- and anti-tobacco media varied according to ethnicity, acculturation, and immigration status. Logistic regression models were used to examine whether pro- and anti-tobacco media exposure in 6th grade was associated with susceptibility to smoking by later grades. Recall of people smoking in television programs and pro-tobacco advertisements in stores was associated with adolescent smoking susceptibility. Exposure to anti-tobacco advertisements on television protected against susceptibility. No significant interaction effects between pro- and anti-tobacco media exposure on smoking susceptibility were found. Ethnicity and acculturation did not moderate these associations. Our longitudinal study provides evidence that pro-tobacco media and advertising increases susceptibility to smoking over time. More important, anti-tobacco advertisements are not sufficient to reduce the harmful effects of adolescent exposure to pro-tobacco media. Policy-level interventions such as restrictions in tobacco advertising may be necessary to prevent adolescent smoking.

Acculturation, socioeconomic status, obesity and lifestyle factors among low-income Puerto Rican women in Connecticut, U.S., 1998-1999

To examine the associations of socioeconomic status and acculturation with obesity and lifestyle characteristics that may be risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease among low-income Puerto Rican women. This cross-sectional study was conducted between 1998 and 1999 by interviewing a convenience sample of 200 low-income Puerto Rican female caretakers of young children in Hartford, Connecticut, United States of America. Various recruitment methods were used to ensure adequate representation of the target community. The associations of obesity (body mass index > or = 30.0) and lifestyle factors (physical activity, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, food intake) with socioeconomic status (education, employment, car ownership), acculturation, age, and marital status were examined with Spearman rho, chi-squared, and Mann-Whitney U tests and logistic regression analyses. Mean age was 29 years. Obesity (40%), physical inactivity (47%), and cigarette smoking (32%) were common. Less acculturated participants were 57% less likely to smoke and 54% less likely to be obese than their more acculturated counterparts. Lower socioeconomic status (not finishing high school or not owning a car) was associated with a higher likelihood of obesity, but unemployed (vs. employed) women were less likely to be obese (P < 0.05). Women who did not own a car consumed meat, eggs and fish less often than those who owned a car. Smokers were more likely to have an unhealthy food intake pattern than nonsmokers. The associations of acculturation and socioeconomic status with some lifestyle characteristics suggest the need for culturally appropriate programs to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors in this low-income community.

Acculturation status and heavy alcohol use among Mexican American college students: Investigating the moderating role of gender

We examined whether gender moderates the association between acculturation and heavy alcohol use. The sample consisted of 126 Mexican American college students (Mean age = 24.7 years; 57% female) who completed self-report measures of heavy alcohol use, acculturation status (global acculturation and ethnic identity), and relevant control variables (age, peer alcohol use). Multivariable regression revealed that higher levels of ethnic identity were associated with greater frequency of heavy alcohol among men. Conversely, neither measure of acculturation was associated with heavy alcohol use among women. These findings suggest that interventions for Latino/a students should consider the role of culturally relevant variables in heavy alcohol use, particularly for men. They also have implications regarding how acculturation is operationalized in alcohol studies, and suggest directions for future research.

Acculturation is Associated With Higher VO2max in Overweight Hispanic Children.

Acculturation has been implicated to be associated with physical activity (PA) behaviors in adults; little is known, however, with respect to the pediatric population. The purpose of this study was to determine whether cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2max) and/or PA were associated with acculturation status in overweight Hispanic children. In a sample of 144 children 8-13 years old, acculturation status was determined by place of birth: foreign born (n = 17), 1st generation (n = 101), or 2nd/3rd generation (n = 26), and by questionnaire: less assimilated (n = 76) or more assimilated (n = 34). VO2max was measured using a treadmill protocol, PA was assessed by questionnaire, and body composition by DEXA. ANOVA and ANCOVA were used to determine unadjusted and adjusted group differences, respectively. After adjusting for covariates, the 2nd/3rd generation group had significantly higher VO2max compared with the 1st generation group: 2.26 ± 0.20 L/min vs. 2.15 ± 0.19 L/min, p = .03. No differences were noted for PA, however. Acculturation to the U.S. is associated with higher VO2max in overweight Hispanic children. Longitudinal analyses are needed to determine whether these fitness differences confer protective health effects in this at-risk population.

Self-Rated Health Among Adult Women of Mexican Origin.

Self-rated health (SRH), a consistent predictor of mortality among diverse populations, is sensitive to health indicators and social factors. American-born Hispanics report better SRH than their foreign-born counterparts but simultaneously report poorer health indicators and have shorter life expectancy. Using a matched prospective cross-sectional design, we analyzed data from 631 age-matched pairs of women, born in the United States or Mexico, enrolled in a cohort study based in Houston, Texas. Our first goal was to describe the relationships between SRH and health behaviors, physician-diagnosed chronic conditions, acculturation, and socioeconomic status (SES) by birthplace. Our second goal was to investigate the relative influence of SES, acculturation, health behaviors, and physician-diagnosed conditions in explaining expected differences in SRH between the two groups. Number of chronic conditions reported, particularly depression, more strongly influenced SRH than SES, acculturation, or reported health risk behaviors and the influence of birthplace is accounted for by these factors.

Relationship among respondent ethnicity, ethnic identity, acculturation, and homeless status on a homeless population's functional status

This study investigated the relationship of homeless status, ethnic identity, respondent ethnicity (African American, Latino, Native American, and Anglo), and Latino, Anglo, and Mexican American orientation on the functional impairment (Behavior and Symptom Identification Scale, BASIS-32; S. V. Eisen, 1996) of 355 homeless men and women who were interviewed in Pomona, California. Multivariate analyses of variance results indicated that respondent ethnicity was related to several BASIS-32 subscales. Specifically, Anglo and African American homeless adults had greater functional impairment than did Latino or Native American respondents. In addition, high Anglo orientation among chronically homeless Latino respondents, with low ethnic identity was associated with higher levels of functional impairment on the BASIS-32 Psychosis subscale. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Panethnicity and Ethnic Resources in Residential Integration: A Comparative Study of Two Host Societies

The racial and ethnic structure of a host society as well as its institutional and ideological context of integration shape the ethnic integration process. To examine these forces for residential integration, this study compares three panethnic groups in Canada and the United States using tabular data from the 2001 Canadian and the 2000 US censuses. Two ways in which the social context is important are identified. First, the social context affects how groups are distributed across urban neighbourhoods. As expected, being a Black ethnic group meant being less segregated in Canada than in the US but Asian groups were more segregated, controlling for group characteristics and the urban and regional context. White ethnic groups in both countries were similarly segregated. Second, the social context influences the process of incorporation itself. The effect of ethnic resources, in terms of acculturation and socioeconomic status, was dependent on the group and host society. The results demonstrate that the national context plays a significant role in the way panethnic group membership influences the spatial processes of ethnic groups in the urban neighbourhoods of the two host societies.

The Reliability and Validity of the Brief Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II for Children and Adolescents

This study investigated the reliability and validity of the Brief Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans-II (ARSMA-II) using two samples of Mexican American children: 292 middle school students from a mid-sized culturally diverse southwestern city, and 116 third-through fifth graders in culturally homogeneous rural elementary schools. Results provided evidence of the reliability and validity of this measure of acculturation for both age levels. Factor analysis supported the two-scale structure reported by Cuéllar. Internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) was adequate for both samples. Validity was demonstrated by the significant association between the distribution of acculturation status and sample group. Language of form (English or Spanish) selected by the student was correlated with acculturation status.

IMMIGRANT GENERATIONAL STATUS AND ETHNIC DIFFERENCES IN HEALTH

We read with interest 2 recent reports using population-level epidemiological data to make inferences about ethnic differences in illicit drug use status1 or health status.2 Both reports were remiss in not attributing more importance to the influence of immigration history and immigrant generational status. Particularly for countries of origin distant from the United States and Canada and from which most immigrants came voluntarily (as opposed to immigrating as refugees), immigrants tend to have better health status and better health practices than is the norm either in their country of origin or among second-generation or later-generation persons sharing their national heritage.3 This phenomenon is known as the “healthy immigrant” effect.4,5 We applaud Delva and associates’ examination of the effects of acculturation, in which the authors used a question about first language spoken as a child (English or Spanish) as a proxy for acculturation status. First-generation immigrants are more likely to use a language other than English in the home than second or later generations.6 However, we take issue with the authors’ inclusion of respondents of Cuban and Puerto Rican origin in this examination. Most Cuban immigrants have come to the United States as refugees, and Puerto Rican immigrants have had many rights of US citizenship and much exposure to US culture before immigrating to the continental United States. Not surprisingly, Delva and associates found that only for Mexican Americans and “other Latin American” students was the language question a significant predictor of marijuana use or heavy drinking. Consistent with the healthy immigrant effect, use of Spanish in these populations was associated with a reduced likelihood of reporting marijuana use or heavy alcohol drinking. To their credit, Wu and Schimmele did incorporate a dummy variable called “immigrant,” reflecting whether a respondent had been born in Canada or not.7 Again, consistent with the healthy immigrant effect, they found functional health to be greater in first-generation Canadians than in Canadians who were born in Canada. This effect has elsewhere been observed to be particularly pronounced in Blacks, resulting in 7.8 to 9.4 years of extra longevity for first-generation immigrant Blacks compared with native-born Blacks.7 Wu and Schimmele should be more cautious in their speculative explanation for the superior functional health status of Canadian Blacks compared with the health of US Blacks. It would be more parsimonious to attribute the observed national differences in Black mortality rates to national differences in immigration history than to national differences in access to health care. Researchers examining racial/ethnic health disparities in countries characterized by substantial recent immigration should consider and report both immigration history and immigrant generational status because of these factors’ high potential for confounding with ethnicity as contributors to observed disparities in health status.

Prevalence of Breastfeeding and Acculturation in Hispanics: Results from NHANES 1999–2000 Study

A more current estimate to evaluate ethnic and acculturation differences in breastfeeding is warranted, given the rapid growth of the Hispanic population in the United States and the proliferation of breastfeeding promotion programs. The study objective was to describe current national estimates of the prevalence of breastfeeding and evaluate differences in reasons not to breastfeed by acculturation status. Secondary data analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2000 was performed on a nationally representative sample of non-Hispanic white women born in the U.S. and Hispanic women with at least one live birth. Acculturation status among Hispanics was assessed using a validated language scale, and prevalence of breastfeeding was based on maternal self-report. Prevalence of breastfeeding was higher in less acculturated Hispanic women (59.2%) than high acculturated Hispanic women (33.1%) and white women (45.1%). Less acculturated Hispanic women were more likely to cite their child's physical/medical condition as a reason not to breastfeed (53.1%), whereas whites and more acculturated Hispanics were more likely to cite their child preferred the bottle (57.5% and 49.8%, respectively). A logistic regression analysis revealed no significant differences in likelihood to breastfeed between non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics after controlling for education, age, and income. Higher acculturated women were less likely to breastfeed their children than low acculturated women (95% CI: 0.14-0.40) even after education, age, and income were taken into account. Acculturation differences in prevalence of breastfeeding and reasons not to breastfeed may be the result of attitudinal changes that occur due to acculturation. Further research into the acculturation process and its impact on breastfeeding may help to prevent the decline in breastfeeding that occurs as mothers become more acculturated. Meanwhile, patient education that addresses women's perceptions of the child's health condition and benefits of breastfeeding would be helpful.

Smoking prevalence and correlates among Chinese- and Filipino-American adults: Findings from the 2001 California Health Interview Survey

Objectives We report prevalence rates and correlates of cigarette smoking among a population-based sample of Chinese- and Filipino-American adults together with rates found in other racial/ethnic groups in California. Methods All analyses are based on the 2001 California Health Interview Survey. Results The proportion of current smokers among males was lowest among Chinese Americans (14%), followed by Non-Hispanic Whites (19%), Hispanics (20%), African Americans (22%), Filipino Americans (24%), American Indians/Alaska Natives (29%), and Pacific Islanders (32%). The proportion of current smokers among females was lowest among Chinese Americans (6%), followed by Hispanics (8%), Filipino Americans (11%), Non-Hispanic Whites (17%), African Americans (20%), Pacific Islander (21%), and American Indians/Alaska Natives (32%). Smoking rates were higher among foreign-born versus U.S.-born Asian males. CHIS data show an opposite effect among Asian women: acculturation to the U.S. is associated with increased smoking prevalence rates. Multivariate analyses with Chinese and Filipino respondents showed that the likelihood of smoking varied among foreign-born versus U.S.-born men (OR 2.59 for Chinese, 1.42 for Filipino, 2.01 for all Asian men combined) and for foreign-born versus U.S.-born women (OR 0.41 for Chinese, 0.38 for Filipino, and 0.59 for all Asian women combined). Conclusion Public health intervention efforts should take into account Asian ethnic subgroup, gender, and acculturation status in targeting high-risk smoking groups.

Acculturation Status and Substance Use Prevention with Mexican and Mexican-American Youth

SUMMARY This study examined whether language preference, as an indicator of acculturation, moderated the effects of a culturally grounded substance use prevention intervention for Mexican and Mexican American middle school students (N = 2,146) in Phoenix, Arizona. The main hypothesis was that levels of program effectiveness would vary based on the language preference of the students and the specific culturally grounded version of the intervention they were assigned. Findings show that matching language preference to particular versions of the intervention did not influence substance use related program outcomes, but that overall program effects (intervention versus control) did vary by language preference. English-language dominant participants, the most at risk sub-group, responded more positively to the intervention, while Spanish dominant, who had low substance use rates at baseline, and bilingual participants did not demonstrate significant differences between the intervention and control groups. Implications for school social work prevention interventions and prevention science in general, are discussed.

Acculturation and Its Relationship to Smoking and Breast Self-Examination Frequency in African American Women

The concept of acculturation has been used to understand differences in health behaviors between and within a variety of racial and ethnic immigrant groups. Few studies, however, have examined the potential impact of acculturation on health behaviors among African Americans. The present study has two goals: 1) to reconfirm relations between acculturation and cigarette smoking; 2) to investigate the impact of acculturation on another type of health behavior, cancer screening and specifically breast self-examination (BSE). African American women (N = 66) attending an inner-city cancer-screening clinic completed study questionnaires. Results reconfirmed psychometric properties of the African American Acculturation Scale (AAAS); replicated the negative association between acculturation and lifetime smoking status; and found relations between acculturation and women's adherence to BSE frequency guidelines. Findings from this study raise the possibility that specific aspects of acculturation may better explain specific health behaviors.

Acculturation and health status among African-Caribbean, Bangladeshi and White British adolescents

This paper reports the validation process for research questions that measure cultural identity in a survey of adolescents from a multi-ethnic urban area. Four questions that tapped preferred cultural origins of friends and clothing were used to classify subjects into categories for cultural identity described by Berry (1980). We assessed face, content and construct validity of these questions by: i) investigating the meaning of cultural identity from an African-Caribbean, Bangladeshi, and White British perspective in three focus groups; ii) asking participants to comment on the questions and their suitability for studies of cultural identity; and iii) using data from the Research with East London Adolescents: Community Health Survey (RELACHS) study of adolescents to test hypotheses about associations of acculturation with health outcomes (physical and mental) in order to assess whether these trends are consistent with previous research, and are in accord with trends predicted by the Berry model. Questions about the cultural origins of friends and clothing showed good face and content validity. However, only the questions on friendship choices showed some associations in the predicted directions, with some associations that were unexpected. The most significant findings were that, in comparison with marginalised pupils, for African-Caribbean pupils assimilation was associated with more tiredness (OR=40.7, 3.8-432.8,p<0.001) and traditionalism with less obesity (OR=0.1, 0.02-0.5, p<0.001). For Bangladeshi pupils integration was associated with a lower risk of depression (OR=0.4, 0.2-0.8, p<0.001). Questions on friendship choices can be used to assess cultural identity, but associations with health and health risk behaviours are different for each ethnic group.

Acculturation, weight status, and eating habits among Chinese-American preschool children and their primary caregivers: a pilot study

This study investigated acculturation, eating habits, and weight status among 53 Chinese-American children and their primary caregivers. Caregivers' mean acculturation score was 2.1, indicating low acculturation. Caregivers' mean body mass index (BMI) was 23.3; 21% were overweight (BMI ≥ 25). Children's mean BMI was 16.6; 17% were overweight (BMI ≥ 95th percentile). The food groups most commonly consumed at the child care center were dairy (15%), mixed dishes (15%), fruits (13%), 100% fruit juice (13%), and vegetables (11%). Of the food groups consumed at home, 43% reflected Chinese food, 26% reflected American food, and 31% reflected food that were shared by both cultures. Of the Chinese food, 26% were mixed dishes, 23% were bread, 16% were vegetables, 11% were meat, and 11% were soup. For American food consumed at home, 19% were desserts, 14% were sweetened beverages, and 11% were bread. Understanding acculturation, eating habits, and weight status of Chinese-American families is critical for designing and monitoring nutrition programs for this understudied population.