The affect of acculturation on obesity among foreign-born Asians residing in the United States

This study examined the relationship between acculturation and obesity in foreign-born Asians residing in the United States. Two proxies were used to measure level of acculturation: years of United States residency and English language use and proficiency. Hypothesis 1 predicted that acculturation measured as number of years of residence will positively predict obesity. Hypothesis 2 predicted that acculturation measured as English language preference and proficiency will positively predict obesity. The study used data from the 2009 California Health Interview Survey. Study participants met two inclusion criteria: foreign born and Asian. Point Biserial was run to determine whether or not there was a correlation. Results showed a weak relationship between obesity and both variable used to measure acculturation. Additional exploratory analysis was performed to determine whether or not there was a relationship between obesity and acculturation for each Asian ethnicity. Results of this exploratory analysis were mixed