How to fit in? South Asian Mothers and children's acculturation experiences in Australia and children's weight
2020
This
study of 14 Australian immigrant mothers from Bangladesh, India and Pakistan,
and their 12 children aged eight to 11 years, explores the interplay of
cultural and social processes which might elevate the risk of obesity. Mothers
and their children were asked in semi-structured, face-to-face interviews about
changes in their diet and
physical activities after immigration to Australia.
Thematic
analysis of these interviews showed a transformation in immigrant families’
diets and physical activities as they transitioned from their traditional
lifestyles to an Australian pattern. Both mothers and their children recognised
the problem—and causes—of obesity. However, different frames of
reference—origin countries for mothers and Australian peers for children—resulted
in generational disjuncture about healthy bodyweight and the strategies to
achieve it. Mothers’ cultural values and low social status in origin countries,
led them to struggle to adapt to new health behaviours. In contrast, their
children wanted to look and act like their Australian peers, who valued
slimness.
Our
findings reveal that the social status of food and activity reflects cultural
meanings from both origin countries and Australia, creating contradictions and
tensions for immigrants that public health campaigns will need to help them
navigate.
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