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The purpose of this study was to collect exploratory data on dietary acculturation, physical activity, and body image in a limited resource Latina population in northern Virginia. Acculturation may be described as a process in which members of one cultural group adopt the beliefs and behaviors of another group. Acculturation has been associated with a variety changes in terms of diet, physical activity and body image. Most dietary acculturation research in the U.S. has focused on Mexican Americans, Cuban Americans, and Puerto Ricans; however this study was composed of mostly Central and South Americans. Eighty-five subjects were recruited from the Arlington County Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, Arlington County Women, Infants, and Children program, and the Fairfax County Parklawn Family Center. Demographic information, acculturation, fruit and vegetable intake, saturated fat avoidance, physical activity, and body image were assessed with written survey instruments. The results indicated that this Latina population with limited resources in northern Virginia was mainly from Bolivia and El Salvador, and was not highly acculturated. Almost half of the participants were overweight or obese. About 50% of the population met the 5-A-Day goal for fruit and vegetable intake and almost 95% of participants exhibited at least one form of saturated fat avoidance. Eighty-five percent of the population reported participating in 30 minutes or more leisure-time physical activity less than 3 times each week, though a similar percentage reported that physical activity was important for health. Sixty percent of respondents were on a weight loss diet. While there was a significant relationship between the number of servings of fruit consumed and acculturation, there was no significant relationship between acculturation and any other dietary, physical activity or body image factor measured. The results of this study provide a baseline for further research in the limited resource Latina population in northern Virginia. / Master of Science

Throughout history, wild green vegetables have played a significant role in human diets around the world, coevolving alongside agriculture and changing land use patterns (Wilson, 1990). Wild greens such as purslane (Portulaca oleracea), lambquarters (Chenopodium spp.) and amaranth (Amaranthus spp.), wild ancestors of crop plants, are prehistoric foods that are cultural and nutritional mainstays in many parts of the world including the Arizona-Mexico borderland region. While consumption of these foods is commonplace on the Mexican side of the border, on the American side their use is less frequent. In this study, I explore the patterns of and barriers to consumption of wild green vegetables by Latinos living in the Arizona (AZ)-Mexico (MX) borderland city of Tucson, AZ. I use Weber's rationalization theory, as well as human agency theory, to guide my exploration of how the dominant food system contributes to dietary acculturation and the loss of agency among Latinos living in Tucson. In-depth interviews and naturalistic observations are employed across a diverse array of market settings, which include a farmers' market, several carniceri­as (Mexican butcher shops), a corner store/tortilleria with procurers and purveyors of Latino and indigenous foods, and a more conventional supermarket. The findings reveal a reduction in knowledge and consumption of heritage greens by Latinos concurrent to their adoption of more mainstream American foods. I consider this pattern and its various implications in the context of the rationalization of the dominant U.S. food system, which leads to a dynamic that favors efficiency and productivity over authenticity and aesthetics.

In the U.S., obesity has hit alarming rates and affects Hispanic children disproportionately. Acculturation, the shift from one culture’s values, beliefs and practices to those of a new culture, may have both negative and positive health effects on immigrants. The objectives of this study were to determine the association between the level of acculturation (low acculturation or high acculturation) of low-income Latina mothers and the foods consumed by their children (0 to 36 months old). The association between acculturation and maternal perceptions of infant and toddler body size, maternal perceptions of her own body size and maternal parenting stress were also investigated. This was accomplished in 3 stages. First, data was collected cross-sectionally from 68 participants of WIC. Mothers answered many questionnaires including Food Frequency Questionnaires for their children, body size perception scale questionnaires and a parenting stress test. General linear regression models were performed to investigate an association between acculturation and food frequency, maternal perceptions of body size and parenting stress. Each model controlled for child’s age, maternal age, BMI (m/kg2) and education level. Second, key informant interviews were conducted with nine public health professionals to help gain a better understanding of some of our findings and to develop questions for the third stage: focus groups. Third, a total of 32 mothers participated in focus groups to discuss their perceptions on acculturation and child-feeding habits, and children’s body size. In addition, three mothers completed one-on-one interviews. From the cross-sectional analysis of the first study stage, the level of acculturation did not have a significant effect on any of the factors measured. For all mothers, however an increase in child’s age was associated with an increase in both the amount of healthy foods and less healthy foods consumed; an increase in mother’s BMI was associated with an increase in the children’s consumption of less healthy foods (beta coefficient of -0.042; p = 0.035). An increase in child’s age was associated with an increased likelihood of a mother to correctly estimate her own body size (beta coefficient of 0.041; p = 0.043). An increase in maternal BMI was associated with an increased likelihood to underestimate her own weight as well as that of her child. During the second stage, a theme emerged from the focus groups that the mothers try to feed the children the way they were fed growing up but they encounter difficulties when they can’t find the same ingredients and when their children start to prefer American foods. For all groups health was the number one factor they considered when choosing what to feed their children. The low acculturated mothers stated they wanted more education on how to assess if their child is at a healthy weight and admitted to not thinking about weight very much. In both groups, the mothers reported getting information about their child’s weight from health care professionals but many mothers from the bi acculturated group mentioned not believing the doctor when they told them their child was overweight. Overall, the findings suggest that children’s diets are not different by mother’s acculturation level and that the children start to prefer American foods from a young age. Parental education for several areas were identified: 1) for mothers to learn how to continue with the healthful aspects of a traditional diet 2) teach parents about appropriate stages of growth for their children; 3) when trying to teach about food focus on other areas of health rather than weight since weight does not seem to resonate as a concern.

Nutritional communication research helps with public health promotion, government dietary intervention and future outlooks for the dietetics profession. This research explores the way health professionals target niche population groups to educate on nutrition. The phenomenological methodology and the Communication Accommodation theory framework guided interviews with 10 Arab-speaking females diagnosed with type II diabetes or prediabetes. The findings reveal eight major underlying themes: language, socio-economic impact, level of integration/adaption to new environment, role of religion in life, health is a personal responsibility, role of family/specific family members, role of health professional and views on the Canadian food/culture. Ultimately, dietary acculturation of the sample group is influenced by level of English language proficiency, health literacy, exposure to health information and cultural values.

Building social networks plays a key role for international students as they undergo changes when moving to a new place. Different factors play a critical role in the experience of each individual. Creating a sense of connectedness to a community facilitates the assimilation of new and different cultures. Along with the emerging field of Human-Food Interaction, this study provides an early exploration of how shared experiences around the topic of food can facilitate interactions within social groups. A user-centered design approach helped to understand the needs of international students concerning their food practices. In turn, it led to the development of the prototype named Share my meal that facilitates interactions among international students through food, thus, opening up space for the discovery of new ingredients and culinary experiences as well as promoting socialization with other people. / Skapa ett socialt nätverk är viktigt för internationella studenter, eftersom när de flyttar till ett nytt land så genomgår de en stor förändring. Olika faktorer spelar en avgörande roll för varje individs upplevelse. Skapa en känsla av gemenskap och sammanhållning kan underlätta assimileringen av nya och olika kulturerna. Med det ökade intresset för området Human-Food Interaction, undersökte denna studie hur delade upplevelser av mat kan underlätta interaktionen inom sociala grupper. En användarcentrerad designstrategi användes för att förstå internationella studenters behov och vanor kring deras matkonsumtion. Följaktligen, ledde det till utvecklingen av prototypen Share my meal med syftet att genom mat, underlätta interaktionen mellan internationella studenter för att upptäckta av nya ingredienser och kulinariska upplevelser, men även främjar socialiseringen med andra människor.

Racial/ethnic groups are disproportionately affected by obesity and other risk factors for chronic diseases. African immigrants are an increasing segment of the U.S. population at greater risk for obesity than other immigrants living in the United States. Public health organizations that aid immigrants could benefit from information about changing dietary patterns. The purpose of this study was to explore the association between dietary acculturation and obesity among African immigrant adults living in the United States, controlling for length of stay, English proficiency, region of residence, and other sociodemographic factors. Acculturation theory guided this study. The research design was quantitative cross-sectional with secondary data from 798 adult immigrants of African origin who completed the New Immigrant Survey. Forward stepwise logistic regression analyses indicated that when controlling for sociodemographic factors, dietary acculturation was a significant predictor of obesity. Language proficiency, income, marital status, childhood living environment, and age were statistically significant predictors of obesity. Findings may be used by clinicians, dieticians, and other health care professionals to develop obesity prevention and control strategies that specifically serve African immigrants to prevent obesity and its associated deadly complications.