Acculturation Profiles of Weight Perception Status among US Foreign-Born Hispanic/Latino Adults: A Mixture Model Approach

The objective of this study was to identify profiles of acculturation and weight-by-weight perception status among United States (US) foreign-born Hispanic/Latino adults using a person-centered approach. We conducted a latent class analysis (LCA) on 1999–2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from US foreign-born Hispanic/Latino adults 18 years and older (N = 4944). Acculturation was assessed by self-reported linguistic acculturation questions from the Short Acculturation Scale for Hispanics. Weight was assessed by body mass index (BMI). Covariates included weight perception and sociodemographic factors to compare and further differentiate profiles. Three profiles were identified: bicultural (15% of sample), low acculturation (84%), and non-integrated (1%). All the profiles had a BMI that was considered overweight or obese. The low acculturated profile was less likely (odds ratio (OR): 0.62, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.43–0.91) to perceive themselves as overweight relative to the bicultural class. The low accultured profile was also more likely to be female and a US citizen (OR: 1.45, 95% CI: 1.09–1.92 and OR: 2.29, 95% CI: 1.57–3.34) in comparison to the bicultural class. Our study is among the first to use LCA to examine weight perception on acculturation status and weight profiles among US foreign-born Hispanic/Latino adults. The findings of our study are a step towards building a foundation to mitigate weight disparities among underserved/underrepresented US foreign-born individuals, especially Hispanics/Latinos. Our results can also inform the development of tailored interventions.