Association between acculturation and health indicators of Haitian-American women

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the association between acculturation, health and nutritional status of Haitian-American mothers. Participants included 81 women ranging from 27.0-78.0 years. The majority of participants living in the US < 5 years (66.0%) had hypertensive blood pressure compared to only 28.6% of those who have lived in the US for >15.0 years. Of the participants identifying themselves as Haitian-American, 54.5% had diabetic blood glucose levels compared to 35.0% of those identifying themselves as Haitian. Similarly, 64.0% of those who identified themselves as Haitian-American were in the obese category as opposed to 51.7% who identified themselves as Haitian. Almost all participants reporting to never eat fast food had a body fat percent of either excess fat (51.4%) or risky fat (42.9%). Findings show that depending on the health outcome being considered among Haitian-American women living in the US, acculturation may have either a negative or positive influence.