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Latina White women;
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persons who are satisfied with their body size are less likely
to try to lose weight. However, in another study, minimal differences on attractiveness
ratings emerged by attire, body size, or model race between African American and
White women.
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In some Hispanic/Latino cultures, weight loss may be viewed as
a symptom of illness and a sign of frailty, and may be associated with low sexual
attractiveness. Symbolically, an overweight woman may be seen as being well
taken care of, and she in turn may be assumed to take good care of her children.
In traditional Mexican culture, being overweight may be considered a symbol of
maternity and nurturance, a figurative association which increases the cultural
acceptability of obesity.
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Ethnic and Cultural Beliefs
Culture can be seen as a pattern of learned beliefs, values, and behaviors that are shared
among groups. They include thoughts, styles of communication, ways of interacting, views on
roles and relationships, practices, and customs. Culture shapes how we explain and value the
world, and provides us with the lens through which we find meaning.
Culture plays a key role in the ability to influence behavior in a patient. We cannot afford to let
cultural barriers limit our ability to meet the needs of our patients, or reduce their opportunity
to benefit from the services we can provide. Perhaps nowhere are cultural differences
more sharply drawn than in our approaches and definitions of health and healthy living. By
deepening our understanding of culture we can strengthen the promise of high-quality health
care that is accessible, effective, and cost efficient for all patients.
It has long been recognized that weight-loss treatments are more effective when they are
personalized to the needs and context of the individuals. The first steps in developing effective
culturally tailored interventions must start with identifying the target population, learning about
their views on weight and body shape, and understanding the preferences, customs, and
beliefs that rule their consumption of food.
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Culture is Tied to Diet
Culture is intimately tied to diet. Food not only provides daily sustenance but also provides
a core element that bonds families and communities and provides a common element to
mark rites of passage and celebrations. Selection of ingredients, how foods are prepared, the
timing and context of meals, size of portions, notions of healthful versus unhealthy foods, and
what is considered a “meal” and what is considered a “snack,” are all integral parts of cultural
patterns. Dietary patterns separate individuals and groups from one another and are an
important component of cultural and national identity.
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Beliefs about Causes of Obesity
Beliefs are important because they guide actual goal-directed behaviors. In a series of studies
across five countries on three continents, McFerran and Mukhopadhyay
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found that people
mainly believed either that obesity is caused by a lack of exercise or that it is caused by a
poor diet. Moreover, laypeople who implicated a lack of exercise as the cause were more
likely to actually be overweight than were those who implicated a poor diet. The authors also
experimentally demonstrated the mechanism underlying this effect: people who implicated
insufficient exercise tended to consume more food than did those who implicated a poor