• Chantel L Martin, Deborah F Tate, Andrew Schaffner, Anna Brannen, Karen Erickson Hatley, Molly Diamond, Karen Munoz-Christian, Jeremy Pomeroy, Teresa Sanchez, Adrian Mercado, Todd Hagobian, and Suzanne Phelan.
• 1 Department of Health Behavior, UNC Chapel Hill , Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
• J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2017 Dec 1; 26 (12): 133313391333-1339.

BackgroundLow-income Hispanic women experience elevated rates of high postpartum weight retention (PPWR), which is an independent risk factor for lifetime obesity. Sociocultural factors might play an important role among Hispanic women; however, very few studies have examined this association.ObjectiveThe purpose of our study was to examine the associations between acculturation and maternal diet, physical activity, and PPWR.DesignThis is a cross-sectional study of baseline data from 282 Hispanic women participating in the FitMoms/Mamás Activas study, a randomized controlled trial examining the impact of primarily an internet-based weight control program, in reducing PPWR among low-income women. We performed multivariable linear regression to examine the association of acculturation with diet quality, physical activity, and PPWR at study entry.ResultsA total of 213 (76%) women had acculturation scores reflecting Mexican orientation or bicultural orientation, whereas 69 (24%) had scores that represented assimilation to Anglo culture. Women who were more acculturated had lower intakes of fruits and vegetables, lower HEI scores, and lower physical activity levels than women who were less acculturated (p < 0.05). We found an association between acculturation and PPWR in that for every 1-unit increase in acculturation score, PPWR increased, on average, by 0.80 kg.ConclusionHigher acculturation was associated with poorer diet and physical activity behaviors and greater PPWR.

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