Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Volume 19, Issue 2, 2017, Pages 373-380

Acculturation Strategies Among South Asian Immigrants: The Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) Study (Article)

Needham B.L.* , Mukherjee B. , Bagchi P. , Kim C. , Mukherjea A. , Kandula N.R. , Kanaya A.M.
  • a Department of Epidemiology and Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health, University of Michigan, 1415 Washington Heights, 2649A SPH Tower, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029, United States
  • b Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
  • c Department of Statistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
  • d Departments of Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
  • e Department of Health Science, California State University, East Bay, Hayward, CA, United States
  • f Department of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
  • g Departments of Medicine and Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States

Abstract

In the past, epidemiologic research on acculturation and health has been criticized for its conceptual ambiguity and simplistic measurement approaches. This study applied a widely-used theoretical framework from cross-cultural psychology to identify acculturation strategies among South Asian immigrants in the US and to examine sociodemographic correlates of acculturation strategies. Data were from the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America study. We used latent class analysis to identify groups of individuals that were similar based on cultural attitudes and behaviors. We used latent class regression analysis to examine sociodemographic correlates of acculturation strategies. We found that South Asian immigrants employed three acculturation strategies, including separation (characterized by a relatively high degree of preference for South Asian culture over US culture), assimilation (characterized by a relatively high degree of preference for US culture over South Asian culture), and integration (characterized by a similar level of preference for South Asian and US cultures). Respondents with no religious affiliation, those with higher levels of income, those who lived a greater percentage of their lives in the US, and those who spoke English well or very well were less likely to use the separation strategy than the assimilation or integration strategies. Using epidemiologic cohort data, this study illustrated a conceptual and methodological approach that addresses limitations of previous research on acculturation and health. More work is needed to understand how the acculturation strategies identified in this study affect the health of South Asian immigrants in the US. © 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York.

Author Keywords

US South Asian immigrants Latent class analysis Acculturation

Index Keywords

human epidemiology middle aged Asia Asia, Western Aged ethnology United States Humans migrant Asian Americans male Emigrants and Immigrants Acculturation Aged, 80 and over female very elderly Asian American Socioeconomic Factors socioeconomics cultural factor adult atherosclerosis Cultural Characteristics
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84959350006&doi=10.1007%2fs10903-016-0372-8&partnerID=40&md5=8e856cf055c994efa92142b570b186a4
DOI: 10.1007/s10903-016-0372-8
ISSN: 15571912
Cited by: 2
Original Language: English