Influence of Culture on Obesity

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2023

Abstract

Culture can be defined as the behaviors, beliefs, and characteristics of a particular social, ethnic, or age group. Culture can shape values and norms about diet, physical activity, and body weight, which in turn can influence weight change through societal modernization, migration, and acculturation. Upon arrival, immigrants are typically healthier than their U.S.-born counterparts; however, these relative advantages dissipate over time, and obesity increases. The weight gain experienced by immigrants likely reflects a combination of financial, linguistic, and social stressors encountered during acculturation. As immigrants acculturate to North America, they may modify dietary and physical activity behaviors as they adapt to and/or borrow traits from this new culture. Parents may hold body size ideals for their children that reflect past experiences of food shortage. Culturally determined attitudes may also influence physical activity levels, including time-use priorities. Cultural characteristics and lived experiences must be considered when designing tailored obesity and lifestyle interventions. Public health efforts to prevent and treat obesity need to move toward upstream system and policy changes while acknowledging the contextual factors that an individual faces on a day-to-day basis, rather than blaming the individual. Although many culturally tailored obesity interventions have been conducted, much work remains.

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