Hispanic Health Care International

Middle-aged Hispanic women have the highest prevalence of overweight and lifetime risk for diabetes of all gender/racial groups. This study examines use of alternative medicine for weight loss and diabetes management among overweight and obese Mexican American women with or at risk for diabetes.

As part of a diabetes risk-reduction intervention targeting overweight and obese Hispanic women at a federally qualified health center in Hillsboro, Oregon, we administered a survey of different treatment modalities, including alternative medicine, traditional Mexican medicine, and home remedies to 85 Hispanic women. We also asked participants how often they disclosed their use of alternative methods to their providers.

Nearly all participants with diabetes (97%) reported using at least one alternative strategy for diabetes control, with home remedies, commercial weight-loss products, and herbal teas being the most endorsed. Most participants with diabetes and half of those without diabetes reported never telling their provider.

This group of women reported a high prevalence of use of alternative methods for weight control and diabetes management. Yet most participants with diabetes never reported this use to a health care provider. To ensure patient safety, providers treating Hispanic women need to probe for complementary and alternative medicine practices.

The aim of this qualitative study was to assess Latina/o students’ sugary drink consumption patterns and understand the social determinants leading to this consumption behavior in order to design more effective health communication–based campaigns. This study examined the perceived reasons behind high levels of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) consumption among college students of Hispanic origin in the Texas Panhandle region.

Fifteen Latina/o students were interviewed via an innovative social media–based online interviewing protocol.

Subsequent analyses revealed that peer pressure, socializing, unavailability of packaged drinking water during social events, targeted advertisements, and poor lifestyle choices were perceived reasons for high intake of SSB in the focal population.

This study recommends designing public service announcements geared to Latino/a youth that increase awareness about the long-term health risks that can result from high consumption of SSBs. Moreover, the positive health benefits of drinking water should be highlighted and Latina/o parents should avoid glorifying SSBs and restrict their SSB consumption in front of their children. Further research should aim at designing educational messages, using theoretical backing, to test how Latina/o youth respond to them.

Population health surveys inform and demonstrate the impact of public health policies. However, the performance of such surveys in specific groups of interest (e.g., Hispanics/Latinos in a neighborhood of New York City) is rarely studied.

We compared measures for obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and current smoking based on the New York City Community Health Survey (CHS, a telephone survey of New York City adults) with the Hispanic Community Health Survey/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), an in-person survey of Hispanic/Latino adults in four communities in the United States (2008-2011), including the Bronx. CHS data were limited to Hispanic/Latinos living in the HCHS/SOL Bronx catchment area.

Compared with CHS, HCHS/SOL estimated higher prevalence of obesity (in HCHS/SOL, P_HCHS/SOL = 45.0% vs. in CHS, P_CHS = 30.6%, p < .01) and current smoking (P_HCHS/SOL = 21.2% vs. P_CHS = 16.2%, p < .01) but similar for hypertension (P_HCHS/SOL = 33.1% vs. P_CHS = 33.8%, p > .05) and diabetes (P_HCHS/SOL = 15.2% vs. P_CHS = 15.7%, p > .05). Stratified estimates (by age, sex, education, and Hispanic/Latino heritage) followed similar trends.

Our study emphasizes the importance of assessing potential bias in population-based surveys of Hispanics/Latinos and other populations of interest and highlights the complex nature of measuring health outcomes via population-based surveys.

Immigrant populations experience higher type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) prevalence rates and worse health outcomes secondary to T2DM than native-born populations. But as the largest immigrant population in the United States, the experience of T2DM diagnosis and self-management among Spanish-speaking, limited English-language proficient Latinx immigrants remains largely unexamined. This study used semistructured interviews to explore these phenomena among a cohort of 30 recent Latinx immigrants.

All aspects of data collection were conducted in Spanish. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected. Data analysis included descriptive statistical procedures. Qualitative data analysis was conducted using a grounded theory approach.

Patterns in the data analysis of 30 interviews identified accepting T2DM as a common transitional process that required significant changes in individuals’ self-perspective and ways of being. Accepting T2DM was identified by the participants as a precursor to treatment initiation. And while for most participants this transition period was brief, for some it took months to years. Distinct transitional stages were identified, categorized, and considered within the context of several theoretical orientations and were observed to align with those in transformative learning.

Understanding differing responses and processing of a T2DM diagnosis could be leveraged to better support patients’ acceptance and transition into treatment.

Insufficient physical activity (PA) and obesity-related health conditions have reached epidemic proportions worldwide. Mexican American women (MAW) report low leisure time physical activity. Few studies examine activities beyond leisure time. Qualitative research suggests that partner support influence provides a cultural approach relevant to PA among MAW.

This cross-sectional study used an ecological model to investigate community (the physical environment), interpersonal (partner support, attitudinal familism), and intrapersonal (age, health conditions, acculturation, employment, and body mass index) factors associated with PA among 112 MAW. Community-based participatory research recommendations guided the preparatory phase of the study and the face-to-face interviews. Frequencies and descriptive statistics were computed. Multivariable linear regression analyses were used to examine associations between study variables.

Moderate to high PA levels were found based on combined activities performed during leisure time, transportation, household tasks, and occupational duties. Women with greater partner support reported higher PA levels. Although acculturation levels were low among women, those with higher acculturation were found to be more physically active.

Future studies should examine strategies to increase partner support and address acculturation within intervention programs to enhance overall PA among MAW.

For the past two decades, childhood obesity has remained a national public health concern, particularly among Hispanic populations. Multiple cross-sectoral obesity prevention strategies have been implemented yet remain unsuccessful in generating sustainable lifestyle changes.

The purpose of this integrative review, using the Whittemore and Knafl method, was to examine the literature from 2009 to 2018 regarding Mexican American parental knowledge and perceptions of childhood obesity. The CINAHL, PubMed, PsycINFO, and ERIC databases were used to search the literature, and 13 peer-reviewed articles met the inclusion criteria.

Three main themes emerged from the literature synthesis: (1) parental misperception of child body weight and size, (2) influence of cultural health and growth beliefs on parental perception of child weight, and (3) parental perspectives of causes and consequences of childhood obesity and how to address it. However, cultural variations in parental perceptions were found; therefore, attempts to generalize Mexican Americans’ cultural practices should be avoided.

Studies using qualitative approaches are needed to gain deeper insights about Mexican American culture regarding children’s health as it relates to body weight, the roles of different family members in the Mexican American childrearing tradition, and the impact of their associated health beliefs.