Obesity in Mexican-American Adults: Interplay of Immigrant Generation, Gender, and Socioeconomic Status

Abstract

Using the data from a unique sample of Mexican-American adults from the U.S.-Mexico border area, this chapter offers explanations for Mexican-American obesity, with the special focus on immigrant generation status, income, and gender. On a theoretical plane, this study attempts to apply the nutrition transition theory to the study of immigrant assimilation in a regional context. Considered are the most important structural dimensions of immigrant assimilation – country of birth (the United States vs. Mexico) and age of arrival. Of the two aforementioned factors, age of arrival is found to be a stronger predictor of obesity that country of birth. As Mexican-American immigrants’ length of residence increases, so does their Body Mass Index (BMI) that reflects the adoption of less diverse diet and sedentary lifestyles. Through the use of multilevel hierarchical modeling, I also found sizeable variation in obesity by income, gender, and family history of obesity. The analyses suggest that the interventions aimed at reducing overweight and obesity among Mexican-Americans in the U.S.-Mexico border region should be better targeted by focusing on women and low-income households.

Citation

Ryabov, I. (2012), "Obesity in Mexican-American Adults: Interplay of Immigrant Generation, Gender, and Socioeconomic Status", Jacobs Kronenfeld, J. (Ed.) Issues in Health and Health Care Related to Race/Ethnicity, Immigration, SES and Gender (Research in the Sociology of Health Care, Vol. 30), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 21-43. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0275-4959(2012)0000030004