The concept of acculturation in epidemiological research among migrant populations: A systematic review

• Acculturation is a widely used concept in epidemiological research. • There are various ways to measure acculturation using proxies or scales; often an acculturation score is calculated. • Studies often show inconsistencies in operationalization and measurement of the concept of acculturation. • The exact outcome is often unclear; this creates a lack of comparability, generalizability and transferability of the results. • Health relevant proxies such as language skills or feeling of belonging should be measured without calculating a score.