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

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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.

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Notes

  1. Annual family income was measured on a sixteen-point scale, from less than $5000 (1) to $250,000 or more (12). To calculate per capita income, we divided the midpoint of each category ($275,000 for the upper category) by the number of people supported by the income, including individuals who live outside the household.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Lakshman Mulpuri for his assistance. The MASALA study was supported by the NIH Grant No. 1R01 HL093009. Data collection at UCSF was also supported by NIH/NCRR UCSF-CTSI Grant No. UL1 RR024131.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. 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, USA

    Belinda L. Needham

  2. Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Bhramar Mukherjee

  3. Department of Statistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Pramita Bagchi

  4. Departments of Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Catherine Kim

  5. Department of Health Science, California State University, East Bay, Hayward, CA, USA

    Arnab Mukherjea

  6. Department of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA

    Namratha R. Kandula

  7. Departments of Medicine and Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Alka M. Kanaya

Authors
  1. Belinda L. Needham
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  2. Bhramar Mukherjee
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  3. Pramita Bagchi
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  4. Catherine Kim
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  5. Arnab Mukherjea
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  6. Namratha R. Kandula
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  7. Alka M. Kanaya
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Belinda L. Needham.

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Needham, B.L., Mukherjee, B., Bagchi, P. et al. Acculturation Strategies Among South Asian Immigrants: The Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) Study. J Immigrant Minority Health 19, 373–380 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-016-0372-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-016-0372-8

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