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. 2015 Dec:147:20-9.
doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.10.028. Epub 2015 Oct 20.

Is socioeconomic incorporation associated with a healthier diet? Dietary patterns among Mexican-origin children in the United States

Molly A Martin  1 , Jennifer L Van Hook  2 , Susana Quiros  2
Affiliations

Is socioeconomic incorporation associated with a healthier diet? Dietary patterns among Mexican-origin children in the United States

Molly A Martin et al. Soc Sci Med. 2015 Dec.

Abstract

With each successive generation in the United States, Mexican-origin families lose their initial dietary advantages. Focusing on children's diets, we ask whether greater socioeconomic status (SES) can help buffer Mexican-origin children in immigrant families from negative dietary acculturation or whether it exacerbates these dietary risks. Pooling data from the 1999 to 2009 waves of the continuous National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, we test whether the association between generational status and Mexican-origin children's nutrition varies by the family's SES. When predicting children's overall dietary quality using the Healthy Eating Index (2010) and predicting unhealthy dietary patterns, we find stronger evidence of segmented assimilation, whereby greater family average SES is associated with better diets across generations of Mexican-origin children. High-status Mexican-origin parents appear able to buffer their children against generational dietary declines documented in the acculturation literature.

Keywords: Acculturation; Children; Immigration; Mexican-American; Nutrition; Socioeconomic status; United States.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Hypotheses
Figure 2
Figure 2
Predicted Values for Overall Dietary Quality (2010 HEI) by Generation and Average SES
Figure 3
Figure 3
Predicted Values for the Revised 2010 HEI Empty Calories Subscale by Generation and Average SES
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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