Interest in studying the impact of acculturation on immigrant health has increased in tandem with the growth of the Latino population in the United States. Linear assimilation models continue to dominate public health research despite the availability of more complex acculturation theories that propose multidimensional frameworks, reciprocal interactions between the individual and the environment, and other acculturative processes among various Latino groups. Because linear and unidimensional assessments (e.g., nativity, length of stay in the United States, and language use) provide constricted measures of acculturation, the rare use of multidimensional acculturation measures and models has inhibited a more comprehensive understanding of the association between specific components of acculturation and particular health outcomes. A public health perspective that incorporates the roles of structural and cultural forces in acculturation may help identify mechanisms underlying links between acculturation and health among Latinos.

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cultural anthropology immigrant social psychology public health service psychological aspect methodology music minority group basic research human Health Behavior immigration life event protection health belief Social Conformity language ethnology Hispanic Americans cultural sensitivity United States Humans cultural bias Hispanic Acculturation Review cultural factor theoretical model Models, Theoretical Health Status Indicators Article food preference migration research Emigration and Immigration health hazard health care availability attitude to health public health health survey