TY - JOUR
T1 - Social influence of adult children on parental health behavior among South Asian immigrants
T2 - findings from the MASALA (Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America) study
AU - Ram, Apoorva
AU - Dave, Swapna S.
AU - Lancki, Nicola
AU - Moran, Margaret
AU - Puri-Taneja, Ankita
AU - Mammen, Shinu
AU - Kanaya, Alka M.
AU - Kandula, Namratha R.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors thank the MASALA Study staff and participants, especially Akansha Batra and Darlena David. The authors are supported by National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute grants 5R01HL093009 (PI: Kanaya) and 1R01HL120725 (PI: Kandula).
Funding Information:
Details: National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute 2R01HL093009 (PI: Kanaya) and 1R01HL120725 (PI: Kandula). The authors thank the MASALA Study staff and participants, especially Akansha Batra and Darlena David. The authors are supported by National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute grants 5R01HL093009 (PI: Kanaya) and 1R01HL120725 (PI: Kandula).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - Objectives: Examine the social influence of adult children on the cardiovascular-related health behaviors of older South Asian (SA) immigrants to inform lifestyle interventions. Design: This mixed-methods study used data from an ancillary study of social networks (2014–2018) in the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America cohort. Phase 1 was a quantitative analysis of self-reported diet and physical activity among SA adults (n = 448, mean age = 58 years, SD 8.4) who named at least one adult child to their social network. The Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) was used to measure parents’ diet; higher numbers indicate a healthier diet (range 0–110). Phase 2 was a thematic content analysis of in-depth qualitative interviews from a subsample of these parents (n = 23, mean age = 55, SD 7.6). Results: Parents with an adult child in their network who consumed uncooked vegetables daily had mean parental AHEI score 1.5 points higher (adjusted p-value = 0.03) than those who had a child in the network who ate uncooked vegetables less often. When at least one adult child in their network ate fresh fruit daily compared to less frequently or when at least one child ate non-SA food daily compared to less frequently, mean parental AHEI scores were higher by 2.0 (adjusted p-value = 0.01) and 1.6 (adjusted p-value = 0.03) points respectively. Parents with an adult child in their network who exercised at least weekly were more likely to meet guideline-recommended physical activity levels than parents with children who exercised less often (76% v. 56%, adjusted p-value = 0.02). Adult children provided social support and were seen as ‘role models’ for healthy behavior, especially when adopting Western health behaviors. Conclusion: Positive role modeling and support from adult children were important facilitators of healthy behavior change in older SA immigrants and can inform health behavior interventions for SA adults.
AB - Objectives: Examine the social influence of adult children on the cardiovascular-related health behaviors of older South Asian (SA) immigrants to inform lifestyle interventions. Design: This mixed-methods study used data from an ancillary study of social networks (2014–2018) in the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America cohort. Phase 1 was a quantitative analysis of self-reported diet and physical activity among SA adults (n = 448, mean age = 58 years, SD 8.4) who named at least one adult child to their social network. The Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) was used to measure parents’ diet; higher numbers indicate a healthier diet (range 0–110). Phase 2 was a thematic content analysis of in-depth qualitative interviews from a subsample of these parents (n = 23, mean age = 55, SD 7.6). Results: Parents with an adult child in their network who consumed uncooked vegetables daily had mean parental AHEI score 1.5 points higher (adjusted p-value = 0.03) than those who had a child in the network who ate uncooked vegetables less often. When at least one adult child in their network ate fresh fruit daily compared to less frequently or when at least one child ate non-SA food daily compared to less frequently, mean parental AHEI scores were higher by 2.0 (adjusted p-value = 0.01) and 1.6 (adjusted p-value = 0.03) points respectively. Parents with an adult child in their network who exercised at least weekly were more likely to meet guideline-recommended physical activity levels than parents with children who exercised less often (76% v. 56%, adjusted p-value = 0.02). Adult children provided social support and were seen as ‘role models’ for healthy behavior, especially when adopting Western health behaviors. Conclusion: Positive role modeling and support from adult children were important facilitators of healthy behavior change in older SA immigrants and can inform health behavior interventions for SA adults.
KW - MASALA
KW - Social network
KW - South Asian
KW - intergenerational
KW - lifestyle intervention
KW - social influence
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85081279637&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85081279637&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/13557858.2020.1734779
DO - 10.1080/13557858.2020.1734779
M3 - Article
C2 - 32122159
AN - SCOPUS:85081279637
SN - 1355-7858
VL - 27
SP - 639
EP - 657
JO - Ethnicity and Health
JF - Ethnicity and Health
IS - 3
ER -
