Cardiovascular disease-related diet and exercise experiences of immigrant Mexican women

In this study, I describe the cardiovascular-related diet and exercise experiences of 24 married immigrant Mexican women (21 to 40 years-old) who have children. I used semistructured taped interviews in Spanish to elicit qualitative data concerning the diet and exercise experiences of this sample. The data were analyzed in Spanish using grounded theory procedures. A major finding in this study is a core process of realizing a covert overweight image. Women described an ongoing process of coming to terms with diet and exercise decisions in a sociocultural disempowering environment that limited their options to promote their health. Despite these limitations, some of the women assessed and formulated options that developed into transcending strategies for engaging in diet and exercise behaviors. Such sociocultural factors as women's roles and their social support structures were found to be critical in describing those behaviors.