Becoming American, becoming obese? A systematic review of acculturation and weight among Latino youth

Abstract

Latino youth have the highest rate of overweight and obesity across ethnic and racial groups, placing these individuals at increased risk for a variety of negative immediate and long-term health outcomes. Many studies have shown that acculturative factors play a role in this process for adults, while less is known about the impact of these factors for children and adolescents. This study systematically reviews the current literature on acculturative factors and obesity among Latino children. Three hundred and seventy-nine studies were independently reviewed by two coders for eligibility. Twenty-nine studies met eligibility criteria and were included in the final review. Results indicated that relations between acculturation and obesity among Latino children are equivocal. Across studies reviewed, the significance and directionality of this relation differed. Heterogeneity across studies reviewed, including age, specific population and measures used for assessing acculturation, likely contributed to the mixed results. To provide greater clarity on the role of acculturative factors on obesity, future studies should (i) utilize a longitudinal design; (ii) control for potential confounding factors such as socioeconomic status; and (iii) examine potential moderating and mediating influences.

Depressive Symptoms and Length of U.S. Residency Are Associated with Obesity among Low-Income Latina Mothers: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

“…In addition, study findings indicate that length of residency in the U.S. was associated with increased odds of maternal obesity for immigrant Latina mothers. This finding is important and aligns with results of previous research documenting that length of residence in the U.S. is associated with increased risk of becoming overweight or obese among immigrants [ 19 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 ]. Research suggests that the longer one lives in the U.S., the greater obesity risk due to changes in diet, physical activity levels, increased stress, cultural norms, and reduced social networks, all of which may adversely affect weight status [ 11 , 19 ].…”

Cultural Influences on Childhood Obesity in Ethnic Minorities: A Qualitative Systematic Review

“…Acculturation has long been thought to influence obesity in immigrant populations since a classic study by Popkin and Udry (1998) provided evidence that immigrants’ obesity rates increased by the number of generations they lived in the United States. Currently, conflicting results on acculturation and obesity were found in adult studies (Ro & Bostean, 2015; Salinas, Abdelbary, Rentfro, Fisher-Hoch, & McCormick, 2014) and child studies (McLeod, Buscemi, & Bohnert, 2016; Zhang, Liu, Diggs, Wang, & Ling, 2019). Recent evidence indicates that the advantage foreign-born Mexican American children had over their U.S.-born counterparts in the 1990s has now diminished so that both foreign-born and U.S.-born Mexican American children have similar rates of overweight/obesity (Maldonado & Albrecht, 2018).…”

Acculturation and weight change in Asian-American children: Evidence from the ECLS-K:2011

“…[10][11][12][13] However, research with children has been mixed, at least among Latinos. 14 In addition, most studies investigating acculturation and weight status have been cross-sectional. 10 Few studies have explored the relationship longitudinally.…”