Food Intake and Cultural Obesity

The October 2009 Journal of the American Dietetic Association featured an article on the effects of acculturation and immigration on obesity. The study examined hotel workers who had immigrated to the United States from the Asian-Pacific region during different periods of their life. The results found that those born in the United States had a greater body mass index (BMI) than those born in another country. Age at arrival to the United States was negatively associated with BMI. The researchers concluded that food intake behaviors are related to place of birth, generation of migration, and acculturation.

Our stages of development greatly impact cognitive as well as social behavior and culture. As indicated in chapter 8, Development Across the Lifespan, environmental factors play an enormous role on our development and behavior. In this article, it is evident that those who spent the longest time in their country of origin were more likely to display the lifestyle of the culture in that country rather than that of the United States. There are so many different stags of development that it is easy to be affected at many points in one's lifespan by a certain culture. However, this article makes it clear that we are more apt to develop the patterns of a culture, the longer that we are exposed to their behavior.