Language use affects food behaviours and food values among Mexican-origin adults in the USA

Abstract

Objectives Previous studies have established that acculturation is associated with dietary intake among Mexican immigrants and their offspring, but few studies have investigated whether food purchasing, food preparation, or food-related values act as mechanisms of dietary acculturation. We examine the relationship between language use and a wide range of food behaviors and food-related values among Mexican American adults. Design Nationally-representative probability sample of the U.S. population. Setting 2005–2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Subjects 2,792 Mexican American adults at least 20 years of age. Results Mexican Americans who speak only or mostly English consume more energy from fast food and sit-down restaurants and report increased consumption of non-homemade meals, fast food and pizza meals, frozen meals, and ready-to-eat meals relative to Spanish speakers. English speakers prepare one fewer homemade dinner per week and spend less time on meal preparation. English speakers are more likely than Spanish speakers to cite convenience as an important reason why they prefer fast food over cooking at home. There is no relationship between language use and the perceived importance of the nutritional quality, price, or taste of fast food. Conclusions Our results provide evidence that the well-documented relationship between acculturation and diet among Mexican Americans may be just one indicator of a broader pattern characterized by decreased home meal preparation and increased reliance on convenience foods.

Fruit and Vegetable Intake of US Hispanics by Food Store Type: Findings from NHANES

“…Those who only purchased fruits and vegetables from convenience stores tended to be younger and were more likely to be US born compared to those who only or primarily purchased their fruits and vegetables from supermarkets/grocery stores. This finding is consistent with previous research demonstrating that US born Hispanics spend less money at supermarket/grocery stores than those born outside of the USA [43]. Overall, study findings illustrate that US Hispanics shop in multiple food store types, providing evidence that US Hispanics are following the purchasing patterns of other consumers in the USA.…”

What influences Latino grocery shopping behavior? Perspectives on the small food store environment from managers and employees in San Diego, California

“…In addition, it was noted that although the price of prepared foods matter, Mexican-origin customers are willing to pay a little more for convenience. This demonstrates an opportunity to further understand how healthy prepared food items can be effectively promoted given the rising popularity of prepared foods among Mexican-origin populations (Langellier et al 2015). Last, understanding the relationship between price and prepared foods is important given the finding that Mexican-origin customers are willing to pay more for prepared foods.…”

Body Composition, Physical Activity, and Convenience Food Consumption among Asian American Youth: 2011–2018 NHANES

“…The acculturation questionnaire, which was administered in a subsample (≥12 years old in 2011 and ≥3 years old in 2012–2018), contained only one question item asking about the language spoken at home, with the following five response options: English language only, more English than non-English, both languages equally, more non-English than English, or non-English language only at home. To use the language spoken at home as an indicator of acculturation [ 26 ], the home language response was categorized into three groups: (1) English only (more acculturated), (2) more English or both languages equally (middle), and (3) more non-English or non-English only (less acculturated). We additionally explored the self-reported birthplace (US or non-US) as an acculturation indicator.…”