Authors Ming-Chin Yeh, PhD, Anahi Viladrich, PhD, Nancy Bruning, MPH, Carol Roye, EdD, RN
Hunter College, City University of New York
Abstract Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. Hispanic American women in particular have higher rates of obesity than their non-Hispanic White counterparts. In this article, the authors review the existing literature on acculturation as it relates to obesity and health behaviors among U.S. Hispanic women. In addition, a conceptual framework is proposed to examine factors contributing to obesity through “selective acculturation.” This concept challenges traditionally held unilateral assumptions that underscore Hispanic women’s unhealthful behavioral patterns by explaining a process whereby Hispanic women both maintain some older health-related behaviors and acquire new ones once they settle in a new culture. Keywords:
Hispanics; obesity; acculturation; body mass index; nutrition