Abstract
This study used focus group methodology to examine perceptions of obesity and weight management among Latina immigrant women
in Alabama. Four focus groups (N = 25) were conducted in Spanish as part of a participatory intervention development process. Participants were obese/overweight
Latina immigrant women (BMI > 25) primarily recruited from a community hospital. The majority of participants were from Mexico.
Participants described obesity in the context of short-term effects such as physical symptoms and aesthetics. Perceived weight
gain was related to lifestyle changes since moving to the US. Social isolation, depression, and stress were reported to contribute
to weight gain. Participants expressed interest in weight loss but emphasized a desire for programs that preserve traditional
foods and include family. Weight-management programs designed for Latina immigrants should address their perceptions of obesity.
This data also suggests that those interventions that preserve culture and incorporate family may have increased community
buy-in.
in Alabama. Four focus groups (N = 25) were conducted in Spanish as part of a participatory intervention development process. Participants were obese/overweight
Latina immigrant women (BMI > 25) primarily recruited from a community hospital. The majority of participants were from Mexico.
Participants described obesity in the context of short-term effects such as physical symptoms and aesthetics. Perceived weight
gain was related to lifestyle changes since moving to the US. Social isolation, depression, and stress were reported to contribute
to weight gain. Participants expressed interest in weight loss but emphasized a desire for programs that preserve traditional
foods and include family. Weight-management programs designed for Latina immigrants should address their perceptions of obesity.
This data also suggests that those interventions that preserve culture and incorporate family may have increased community
buy-in.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Category Original Paper
- Pages 1-8
- DOI 10.1007/s10903-011-9557-3
- Authors
- April A. Agne, Department of Medicine, Division of Preventive Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1717 11th Ave South, MT 624, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
- Rebecca Daubert, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1665 University Boulevard, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
- Maria L. Munoz, Department of Medicine, Division of Preventive Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1717 11th Ave South, MT 624, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
- Isabel Scarinci, Department of Medicine, Division of Preventive Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1717 11th Ave South, MT 624, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
- Andrea L. Cherrington, Department of Medicine, Division of Preventive Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1717 11th Ave South, MT 624, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
- Journal Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
- Online ISSN 1557-1920
- Print ISSN 1557-1912