Language Spoken at Home and Parental Birthplace Moderate the Association of Race/Ethnicity and Distorted Weight Perception

Abstract

Distorted weight perception (DWP), specifically overestimating weight status, is common in adolescents and may lead to eating disorders. The authors examined the role of acculturation proxies as effect modifiers of the relationship between race/ethnicity and DWP in a diverse adolescent population. Analysis of the 2005 California Health Interview Survey showed that of 2955 adolescents with underweight or healthy weight status, 10.6% reported DWP. Latino adolescents had increased odds of DWP compared with white adolescents (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 3.02; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.00, 4.57). Latinos who spoke English and other language(s) at home (aOR = 3.38; 95% CI = 2.11, 5.41) and Latino (aOR = 5.00; 95% CI = 2.34, 10.72) and Asian (aOR = 3.10, 95% CI = 1.15, 8.35) adolescents who spoke no English at home had increased odds of DWP compared with white, English-only speakers. Latino adolescents had increased odds (aOR = 3.98, 95% CI = 2.45, 6.47) of DWP if neither parent was US born. Assessing acculturation proxies may help identify adolescents at risk of DWP.

Perceived Weight and Bullying Victimization in Boys and Girls

“…Additionally, Hispanic adolescents perceived themselves as weighing too much more often than other ethnic groups, but had lower odds of being a victim of bullying than white adolescents. Prior research is mixed as to whether Hispanic adolescents misperceive their weight more frequently than white peers, with some studies reporting no significant differences and others noting higher odds of weight misperceptions among Hispanic adolescents . Research also suggests that acculturation may play a role in predicting weight misperceptions among Hispanic adolescents .…”

“…Prior research is mixed as to whether Hispanic adolescents misperceive their weight more frequently than white peers, with some studies reporting no significant differences 34 and others noting higher odds of weight misperceptions among Hispanic adolescents. 35,36 Research also suggests that acculturation may play a role in predicting weight misperceptions among Hispanic adolescents. 36 This warrants future research to determine how Hispanic culture and related weight perceptions influence the association between weight perceptions and experiences of victimization.…”

“…35,36 Research also suggests that acculturation may play a role in predicting weight misperceptions among Hispanic adolescents. 36 This warrants future research to determine how Hispanic culture and related weight perceptions influence the association between weight perceptions and experiences of victimization.…”

Type 2 Diabetes among 6 Asian Ethnic Groups in California: The Nexus of Ethnicity, Gender, and Generational Status

“…43[159-177] In health and health services research, linguistic proficiency or primary language spoken at home is often used as a proxy measure for acculturation since limited proficiency in English is consistently associated with decreased health outcomes and health-related quality of life among new immigrants. [44][45][46][47][48] Although no agreement has been reached on how these different theories explain the impact of immigration process on T2DM risk-or even on definitions of acculturation-there is overwhelming consensus that ethnicity-specific data among Asian Americans is lacking, which hinders research concerning the connections between T2DM and migration background. 26,27,28,49,50 The Asian American population encompasses a number of very different ethnic groups that are diverse in terms of many important determinants of diabetes risks, including national origin, migration history, diet, and lifestyle.…”

Bodyweight Misperception by Chinese American Females Influenced by Cultural and Social Ideals: Implication for Home Health Care

“…35,36 Parental and family acculturation have been described as a contributing factor to bodyweight misperception for adolescents from Asian immigrant families. 37 It is hypothesized that the family dynamics become distressed from the incongruent pace of acculturation between parents and children. Consequently, the newer generation minorities have a higher susceptibility to a distorted perception of body image attributed to family conflicts.…”