Nosotros mismos nos estamos matando/We are the ones killing ourselves: Unraveling individual and network characteristics associated with negative dietary acculturation among Mexican Americans in New York City

Karen R Flórez; Brooke M Bell; Alyshia Gálvez; Maria Hernández; Sandra Verdaguer; Kayla de la Haye

doi:10.1016/j.appet.2023.106488

Nosotros mismos nos estamos matando/We are the ones killing ourselves: Unraveling individual and network characteristics associated with negative dietary acculturation among Mexican Americans in New York City

Appetite. 2023 May 1:184:106488. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2023.106488. Epub 2023 Feb 10.

Authors

Karen R Flórez¹, Brooke M Bell², Alyshia Gálvez³, Maria Hernández⁴, Sandra Verdaguer⁵, Kayla de la Haye⁶

Affiliations

¹ Environmental, Occupational and Geospatial Sciences Department, City University of New York (CUNY), CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Heath Policy, New York, NY, USA. Electronic address: karen.florez@sph.cuny.edu.
² Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA; Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
³ Department of Latin American and Latino Studies, Lehman College, CUNY, New York, NY, USA.
⁴ El Instituto: Institute of Latina/o, Caribbean and Latin America Studies of College of Liberal Arts and Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.
⁵ Department of Community Health and Social Sciences, CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, New York, NY, USA.
⁶ Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Abstract

Background: Research on negative dietary acculturation among Mexican-Americans has mostly focused on individual-level processes and has largely ignored the role of social networks.

Methods: This mixed-method study used an egocentric network approach and derived 1620 personal ties of self-identified Mexican adults in New York. 24-hour dietary recalls were used to derive a total Healthy Eating Index (HEI) and subscores. The qualitative portion generated narratives around who helps or hinders their efforts to eat healthfully.

Results: At the individual level, age at which participants migrated to the U.S. was negatively associated with total HEI (β = -0.39, p < .01). An annual income below $30,000 was positively associated with total HEI (β = 0.25, p < .05) and with HEI fruit subscores (β = 0.25, p < .05). Acculturative stress was negatively associated with HEI fruit (β = -0.29, p < .05) and refined grain subscores (β = -0.34, p < .01). At the network level, the proportion of network members who consumed traditional Latino diets was negatively associated with total HEI and HEI refined grains subscores (β = -0.39, p < .001; and β = -0.23, p < .05; respectively). In contrast, the proportion of alters who lived in another country was positively associated with HEI dairy subscores (β = 0.25, p < .05). Juxtaposing qualitative participants' visual representation of their total HEI scores with their lay interpretations of healthy and unhealthy eating matched public health messages of reducing sugar, red meat intake, and processed foods. However, participants felt that this could only be achieved through restriction rather than balance. Qualitative narratives also elucidated how dietary acculturation and income could help shape dietary quality in unexpected ways.

Conclusions: This study found evidence of negative dietary acculturation and showcases the complex ways in which both individual- and network-level processes help shape dietary choices for Mexican-Americans.

Keywords: Dietary quality; Healthy eating index; Immigrants; Latinos; Mixed-methods.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

Acculturation*
Adult
Diet
Diet, Healthy*
Humans
Mexican Americans*
New York City

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding