Acculturation and Feeding in Hispanic Mothers: Continuous and Categorical Analyses

Background: Despite previous studies showing that acculturation in Hispanic mothers is associated with less frequent use of highly controlling feeding practices, our understanding of acculturation and feeding is still limited. Little attention has been given to positive feeding practices, researchers have focused on acculturation as a unidimensional construct, and few studies have compared Hispanic to non-Hispanic parents. Methods: In this study, 750 mothers (596 Hispanic) completed questionnaires assessing feeding practices/styles; Hispanic mothers completed a bidimensional, language-based acculturation questionnaire. Acculturation was analyzed both as a continuous variable and by assigning Hispanic mothers into acculturation groups based on their language competency, usage, and media preferences (separation, assimilation, integration, and marginalization). Results: Highly controlling feeding practices were associated with Spanish orientation scores, whereas mealtime/snack-time structure, responsiveness to children's fullness cues, child involvement in food preparation, and feeding efficacy were associated with English orientation scores. Acculturation group comparisons showed that mothers in the separation group differed the most from non-Hispanic mothers and that mothers in the assimilation group did not significantly differ from non-Hispanic mothers on any feeding practices. Mothers in the integration group were more restrictive than non-Hispanic mothers. The indulgent feeding style was most common among mothers in the assimilation group. Conclusions: These findings extend the results of previous research by: (1) identifying positive feeding strategies associated with acculturation, (2) demonstrating the value of studying acculturation as a multidimensional process, and (3) showing how feeding practices and styles show different patterns of association with acculturation in Hispanic mothers.