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

Abstract

This paper analyses the risk factors for being overweight or obese among the children of Mexican migrants in the United States. It draws on a qualitative study consisting of in-depth interviews and participant observation with 30 parents in New York State. Findings indicate risks related to nutritional deficiencies and food insecurity before migration, adaptation to US lifestyles, and the cultural tendency to value being overweight as a sign of greater health and higher socioeconomic status. Findings also show that mothers use various strategies to resist the excessive consumption of fast food, yet they simultaneously experience dilemmas around the family's consumption due to the gender norm that women are responsible for children's diet.

Continued Barriers Affecting Hispanic Families’ Dietary Patterns

“…Developing and maintaining poor eating choices that include indulgence in high‐calorie foods and sugary beverages can increase obesity risk. Shifts in social and physical environments may contribute to changes in food preference and consumption among both parents and children (Tuñón‐Pablos & Dreby, ). Research suggests that as many as 3,467,645 Hispanic immigrant families now live in rural regions of the United States and compose 7% of the total U.S. rural population (Lichter, ).…”

Habitus alimentario: prácticas entre trabajadores agrícolas migrantes en una comunidad de Sonora, México

“…Los resultados de investigaciones (6,24,54) y los datos cualitativos encontrados aquí, muestran los riesgos para la salud entre trabajadores agrícolas relacionados con las prácticas de alimentación, que van desde la desnutrición hasta la obesidad y diabetes. El consumo de alimentos industrializados significa mejora económica y social, una forma de lograr la modernidad (55,56,57) , pero entre la población jornalera en México se reportan limitaciones económicas para satisfacer SALUD COLECTIVA. 2019;15:e1843.…”

Bridging the Gaps Through Nurse-Led Nutrition Education to Underserved Children

“…While there are genetic components as well as many environmental, social, cultural, and behavioral factors that may account for the disparity among these groups, inaccessibility to nutritionally adequate foods, poor food choices, and dietary behavior are recognized as key contributors to obesity and comorbid health problems (Benavides-Vaello & Brown, 2016); Bertucci, Miller, Jaggi, & Wilding, 2010; Tuñón-Pablos & Dreby, 2016). For Hispanic families living in isolated impoverished communities where economic and physical resources are limited, energy-dense foods and nutrient-poor foods may not only be deemed more palatable but may also be considered more available and affordable (Sharkey, Dean, & Johnson, 2011).…”