J Acad Nutr Diet. 2018 Mar;118(3):431-439. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2017.10.008. Epub 2017 Dec 28.
Epidemiological studies have described an "acculturation paradox." Increased acculturation to the United States is associated with increased consumption of dietary fat and decreased consumption of fruits/vegetables.
To expand understanding of the dietary acculturation paradox, this study examined how bicultural Mexican-American women construct ethnic identity and how these identities and identity-making processes relate to perceptions of health and nutrition.
We utilized embedded mixed methods (in-depth interviews; survey).
PARTICIPANTS/SETTING: We analyzed a purposive sample of English-speaking Mexican-American women aged 18 to 29 years (n=24) in rural California to assess ethnic identity and diet beliefs.
Participants described food as central to expressing cultural identity, usually in terms of family interactions. Mexican food traditions were characterized as unhealthy; many preferred American foods, which were seen as healthier. Specifically, Mexican-American women perceived Mexican patterns of food preparation and consumption as unhealthy. In addition, traditional Mexican foods described as unhealthy were once considered special-occasion foods. Among the participants who expressed a desire to eat healthfully, to do so meant to reject Mexican ways of eating.
This study raises questions about the nature of the "dietary acculturation paradox." While food-the eating of Mexican foods-is central to the maintenance of ethnic identity throughout acculturation, negative perceptions about the healthfulness of Mexican foods introduce tension into Mexican-American women's self-identification. This study suggests a subtle contradiction that may help to explain the dietary acculturation paradox: While previous research has suggested that as Mexicans acculturate to the United States they adopt unhealthy diets, this study finds evidence that they do so at least in part due to perceptions that American diets are healthier than Mexican diets. Implications for interventions to improve Latinos' diets include an emphasis on the family and use of Spanish linguistic cues. Finally, messages that simply advocate for "traditional" diets should be reconsidered because that message is discordant with perceptions of the healthfulness of such foods.
流行病学研究描述了一种“文化适应悖论”。 对美国的文化适应程度增加与饮食中脂肪摄入量的增加和水果/蔬菜摄入量的减少有关。
为了扩展对饮食文化适应悖论的理解，本研究探讨了双文化墨西哥裔美国女性如何构建族裔身份，以及这些身份和身份形成过程如何与健康和营养观念相关。
我们采用嵌入式混合方法（深入访谈；调查）。
参与者/设置： 我们分析了加利福尼亚州农村地区 24 名 18 至 29 岁的英语墨西哥裔美国女性的随机样本，以评估族裔认同和饮食信念。
参与者将食物描述为表达文化认同的核心，通常涉及家庭互动。墨西哥食物传统被认为是不健康的；许多人更喜欢美国食物，认为它们更健康。具体来说，墨西哥裔美国女性认为墨西哥的食物准备和消费模式不健康。此外，被认为不健康的传统墨西哥食物曾经是特殊场合的食物。在表达健康饮食愿望的参与者中，这意味着拒绝墨西哥的饮食方式。
本研究对“饮食文化适应悖论”的本质提出了质疑。虽然食物——食用墨西哥食物——是整个文化适应过程中维持族裔认同的核心，但对墨西哥食物健康性的负面看法给墨西哥裔美国女性的自我认同带来了紧张。本研究提出了一个微妙的矛盾，可能有助于解释饮食文化适应悖论：虽然之前的研究表明，随着墨西哥人融入美国，他们会采用不健康的饮食，但本研究发现，他们这样做至少部分是因为他们认为美国饮食比墨西哥饮食更健康。改善拉丁裔饮食的干预措施的影响包括强调家庭和使用西班牙语语言提示。最后，简单提倡“传统”饮食的信息应该重新考虑，因为这一信息与这些食物健康性的看法不符。
