Feeding Practices and Lifestyle Changes after Migration: Perceptions of First Generation Latinas Living in an Emerging Community

Latinos are the fastest growing minority in the United States (US). Currently, Latinos make up 17.3% of the total US population and 49% are foreign born. After migration to the US, Latinos face a myriad of changes to which they need to adapt quickly. Some of the changes have health consequences, such as changes in feeding practices that have contributed to the high rates of childhood and adult obesity in this population. Although there is substantial research on lifestyle changes among Latinos, little research has been conducted in the Midwest, particularly in new growth communities that have experienced a significant influx of Latino immigrants in recent decades. The purpose of this study was to better understand Latina mothers' perceptions of how their family feeding practices changed after they migrated to the U.S and how living in a new growth community played a role. A total of 30 semi‐structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of immigrant mothers from Latin American countries who were enrolled in a Women, Infant, and Children supplemental nutrition program. Interviews lasted on average 32 minutes and focused on retrospective accounts of lifestyle, eating behaviors, and family feeding practices as children growing up, and as adult mothers after migration. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim in Spanish, and analyzed by a bilingual team. Relevant quotes were translated into English. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes. To enhance rigor, a process of thematic analysis was enacted with triangulation of emic emerging inductive codes to identify potential comprehensive categories and well developed themes. Qualitative analysis of this phenomenological research was employed to describe “lived experience” from the participant's narrative data. Two thirds of participants were from Mexico, four from Central America, and six were from South America. Most (n= 25) women were married or living with a partner. Through thematic analysis, six themes emerged that help illuminate perceived lifestyle changes and challenges related to healthy eating in the US among first generation Latinas: 1) family and regional differences drive food preferences, 2) fresh is better, but inaccessible, 3) nutritional knowledge takes time and money to implement, 4) disconnect between nutritional knowledge and application, 5) perceptions of poverty and food sufficiency, and 6) diminished community context of cooking due to isolation. Findings suggest there are many changes in feeding practices that take place after migration to the US. Living in a new growth community played an important role in the perceptions that the participants had about food access. The results suggest that mere educational interventions can provide participants with solid knowledge about nutrition; however, more practical interventions are necessary to consolidate and promote healthy eating. Having a better understanding of lifestyle changes faced by Latina immigrants can facilitate the opportunity for nutritionists and other health care providers and researchers to identify modifiable family feeding behaviors to promote healthy eating and weight. Support or Funding Information This study was supported by the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative of the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture under the under the Illinois Transdisciplinary Obesity Prevention Program (I‐TOPP) grant (2011‐67001‐30101) to the Division of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Illinois.