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Acculturation and Health Survey Question Comprehension Among Latino Respondents in the US

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Abstract

Although research has documented cultural variability in respondent comprehension and interpretation of survey questions, little information is currently available on the role that acculturation might play in minimizing cross-cultural differences in the comprehension or interpretation of survey questions. To investigate this problem, we examine the potential effects of acculturation to host culture on respondent comprehension of a set of health survey questions among two distinct Latino populations on the US mainland: Mexican–Americans and Puerto Ricans. Specifically, comprehension-related respondent behaviors coded from 345 face-to-face interviews conducted with Mexican–American, Puerto Rican, African American, and non-Latino White adults living in Chicago are examined. Findings indicate that Latino respondents who were born outside of the US and who have a preference for communicating in Spanish, relative to English, were more likely to express comprehension difficulties. These findings suggest that pretest survey instruments with immigrant populations may be a useful strategy for identifying problematic questions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zilber School of Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, P.O. Box 413, Milwaukee, WI, 53201-0413, USA

    Young Ik Cho

  2. Survey Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Allyson Holbrook & Timothy P. Johnson

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  1. Young Ik Cho
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  2. Allyson Holbrook
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  3. Timothy P. Johnson
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Correspondence to Young Ik Cho.

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Cho, Y.I., Holbrook, A. & Johnson, T.P. Acculturation and Health Survey Question Comprehension Among Latino Respondents in the US. J Immigrant Minority Health 15, 525–532 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-012-9737-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-012-9737-9

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