Summary
Dietary acculturation is the process by which diet and dietary practices from the environment of origin are retained or changed and/or those prevalent in a new environment are adopted. Despite rapid population growth the U.S., knowledge gaps exist on characterizing dietary acculturation among Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities (AANHPI). This study characterizes dietary patterns in a sample representative of AANHPI on key demographic characteristics.
Data were from a 2013–2014 population-based case-control study in the San Francisco Bay Area, U.S. Survey items were adapted from dietary acculturation scales developed for AANHPI populations. Validated measures assessed social capital, social standing, discrimination and immigration experiences. A principal components factor analysis was conducted to characterize dietary patterns of acculturation.
Findings: Three dietary patterns were identified: “Asian,” “Western,” and a distinct “Multicultural” factor. Respondents reporting a high-Asian diet tended to also report smaller social networks, higher levels of stress, and, among those born outside of the U.S., an educational standing that was better before immigration. Respondents reporting a high-Western diet tended to also report the highest level of discrimination. Those reporting a high-Multicultural diet tended to report higher neighborhood collective efficacy.
The finding of a distinct “Multicultural” factor beyond the typical “Asian” and “Western” factors may reflect the multidirectional relationships between culture, diet, and dietary behavior, in which origin and destination cultures interact in complex ways and where foods from multiple ethnicities intermix.
This study uses 2011–2012 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) methodology.