Acculturation and Lifestyle Habits among Different Ethnic Groups - Essay Example

Arab Americans wanted to determine if their mental health was in any way influenced by how they fit in in their larger communities. They wanted to know if their general social environment and their lives as a minority altered their perceptions of the world. In this article, the researchers define acculturation as “the process of change on both the individual and group level that results from contact between a minority and a dominant culture, leading members of the minority culture to adjust their original cultural beliefs, values, and behaviors” (81). This definition is a useful starting point.

A certain amount of stress accompanies any group that may not have as many opportunities or access to employment as a more dominant social group. For ethnic groups that are new to a country or community, or that share space with a larger group, this can be especially acute. However, the authors of this article did not find that acculturation had a determinant role in the mental health of Arab Americans. It could increase their stress levels but many other factors were involved in their mental health.

Ghaddar S, et al. “Acculturation and healthy lifestyle habits among Hispanics in United States-Mexico border communities.” Rev Panam Salud Publica. 28 (2010):190–7.

Many aspects of the lives of ethnic groups can be altered through acculturation. If people who are socio-economically poorer arrive in a richer country they may find themselves in a different class than they belonged to at home. This might change their behavior. Forms of employment may change; types of leisure activities may be altered. Ghaddar, et al, examined the issue of healthy lifestyles among Hispanics in border communities. They were curious about what kind of effect acculturation had on these groups.

It was more than mere idle curiosity that led the researchers to take up this question. They knew that Hispanics living in the border areas were less likely to have adapted to the American mainstream and that they would be poorer, have less insurance, and have less access to healthcare. It was evident to them that these structural issues prevented these groups from having many of the advantages of acculturation:

Acculturation is an important factor in border region populations’ adoption or rejection of healthy lifestyle habits and therefore must be considered and addressed in programs that seek to improve health behaviors and health outcomes in U.S.-Mexico border communities” (191). The researchers decided that acculturation could be a mixed bag. The Hispanics in these regions would gain more self-awareness and understand a variety of new healthy behaviors, but would also give up some of their healthy dietary practices in the process (194). Read More