Acculturation may influence health behaviors, yet mechanisms underlying its effect
are not well understood. In this study, we describe relationships between acculturation
and health behaviors among low-income housing residents, and examine whether these
relationships are mediated by social and contextual factors. Residents of 20 low-income
housing sites in the Boston metropolitan area completed surveys that assessed acculturative
characteristics, social/contextual factors, and health behaviors. A composite acculturation
scale was developed using latent class analysis, resulting in four distinct acculturative
groups. Path analysis was used to examine interrelationships between acculturation,
health behaviors, and social/contextual factors, specifically self-reported social
ties, social support, stress, material hardship, and discrimination. Of the 828 respondents,
69% were born outside of the U.S. Less acculturated groups exhibited healthier dietary
practices and were less likely to smoke than more acculturated groups. Acculturation
had a direct effect on diet and smoking, but not physical activity. Acculturation
also showed an indirect effect on diet through its relationship with material hardship.
Our finding that material hardship mediated the relationship between acculturation
and diet suggests the need to explicate the significant role of financial resources
in interventions seeking to promote healthy diets among low-income immigrant groups.
Future research should examine these social and contextual mediators using larger,
population-based samples, preferably with longitudinal data.