Open AccessUnderstanding “nostalgic inequality”: A critical analysis of barriers to Latinos’ healthy eating practices in the United States
Author(s) -
Anahí Viladrich
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
international journal of healthcare
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2377-7346
pISSN - 2377-7338
DOI - 10.5430/ijh.v3n1p58
Subject(s) - acculturation , disadvantaged , inequality , obesity , social inequality , health equity , gerontology , psychology , healthy eating , environmental health , sociology , social psychology , medicine , physical activity , public health , economic growth , economics , ethnic group , mathematical analysis , mathematics , nursing , anthropology , physical medicine and rehabilitation
Based on two mixed-methods studies conducted with first and second generation Latinas in New York City (NYC), this article questions simplistic notions of acculturation by stressing the impact of structural conditions (at the individual, social and physical levels) in determining Latinas’ food practices in the United States (U.S.). The term “nostalgic inequality” is used here to argue that Latinas’ retention of, and adaptation to, their traditional staples (i.e., nostalgic foods) tends to favor affordable and fat-saturated items (e.g., fried and processed foods) that through time contribute to higher rates of obesity and cardiovascular disease, among other deleterious health conditions. In the end, this review is aimed at raising awareness about the barriers to healthy eating experienced by disadvantaged minority groups in the U.S. urban milieu.