The Context of Nutrition and Obesity in the Mexican-origin Population

• In Event: 549 - Section on International Migration Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 09. Health

Abstract

Among Mexican immigrants, the chances of gaining weight or becoming overweight and/or obese increase with time in the U.S. (Creighton et. al. 2012; Riosmena and Dennis 2012; Antecol and Bedard 2006). Over time, declining immigrant health outcomes may suggest acculturation at work. Past studies are dominated by the acculturation framework and criticized for underemphasizing the role of socioeconomic status (Lara et. al. 2005). Other limitations include proxy measures for acculturation, like English proficiency or time in the U.S., in quantitative studies (Ayala et. al. 2004; Guendelman et. al. 2013). This research brings a sociological lens to questions regarding obesity and nutrition among the Mexican-origin community. How do individual- and structural-level factors mediate health and nutrition behaviors in the Mexican-origin population? The objective of this study is to understand the mechanisms through which nutrition and obesity operate among the Mexican-origin population in the U.S. using a qualitative approach. To incorporate the acculturation and socioeconomic hypotheses of past researchers, I compare Mexican immigrants and U.S.-born Mexican-origin individuals with varied socioeconomic status. This data comes from 25 in-depth interviews with Mexican-origin adults conducted in the Bay Area during Winter 2015. Topics covered include food preferences, meal preparation, routines, grocery shopping, and comparisons to Mexico. Tentatively, immigrant respondents suggest barriers to healthy eating such as inflexible work schedules and high costs, but also perceived lower food quality in the U.S. compared to Mexico. The results may adjudicate between the acculturation and socioeconomic hypotheses for understanding the nutrition and weight trends of the Mexican-origin population.

Author

• Nallely Mejia, University of California Berkeley