A Biobehavioral Approach to Understanding Obesity and the Development of Obesogenic Illnesses Among Latino Immigrants in the United States

Abstract

The prevalence of obesity and obesity-related illnesses is higher among Hispanics (Latinos) than other racial and ethnic groups, and rates increase exponentially with the number of years living in the United States. Mounting evidence suggests that the origins of many chronic illnesses among disadvantaged minority groups may lie with cumulative exposure to chronic psychological and physiological stressors through the biobehavioral process of allostatic load (AL). Among immigrant Latinos, acculturation stress may contribute to an increase in AL and thus may be an independent risk factor for the development of obesity and obesogenic illnesses. The purpose of this theoretical article is to present a proposed model of the effects of acculturation stress on AL and obesity among Latino immigrants. Such a model can be useful to guide intervention efforts to decrease obesity among immigrant Latinos by adding education, skill building, and social integration strategies to healthy eating and physical activity to reduce the deleterious impact of acculturation stress.

Prevalence of Obesity by Occupation Among US Workers

“…In addition, Hispanic male workers had the biggest increase in prevalence of obesity over the same period. D’Alonzo et al 19 found that Hispanic immigrants have developed obesity during acculturation process of allostatic load. Some Hispanic immigrants tend to have poorer diets; less vegetable and fruit consumption and higher sweet drink consumption.…”

Cultural Variables Underlying Obesity in Latino Men: Design, Rationale and Participant Characteristics from the Latino Men’s Health Initiative

“…Acculturative stress may play an important role in health behaviors and biological processes that may contribute to the development of obesity [13]. However, to date, little research has examined how cultural conflict or stress may affect correlates of obesity.…”

Risk Factors for Overweight and Obesity among Mexican Children in New York

“…This is perhaps due to the acculturation process, which continues regardless of the genetic background and family history of malnutrition and the tendency for the "Hispanic paradox" to decrease with time (the "Hispanic paradox" refers to the finding that recent Latino migrants living in poverty in the United States tend to have better health indicators and lower death rates than the overall population, despite their low socioeconomic status. It is worth noting that various authors estimate that the "Hispanic paradox" disappears among second and third generation migrants as they improve their economic situation and increasingly integrate into US lifestyles [14,23] Our qualitative data shows that structural barriers, such as work conditions and availability of low-cost food, exist for migrants of all socioeconomic backgrounds, although they are most acute among the undocumented and the lower class population due to the increased vulnerabilities they face.…”

“…D' Alonzo et al [14] show that 17 percent of Latino girls and 27 percent of Latino boys are considered obese; they are 1.4 times more likely to become overweight or obese than white non-Hispanic children. In the absence of measures to reverse these trends, D' Alonzo et al [14] estimate that, by 2030, 90% of Mexican-origin people in the United States will become overweight or obese, as Latinos' risk of overweight and obesity increases exponentially by the number of years they have lived in the United States.…”