Latent Profiles of Acculturation and Their Implications for Health: A Study with Asian Americans

Background and Purpose:Building upon the growing literature on acculturation in ethnic minority populations, the present study examined the latent model of acculturation and its association with health risks in a sample of Asian Americans. One prompt for the study was a concern that population-based surveys conducted only in English are not equipped to generate a representative sample of Asian Americans, and the use of such upwardly-biased samples is of particular concern in research on acculturation. The thrust of the present study was addressing the issues of acculturation using a sample that reflects the target population’s cultural and linguistic diversities.    

Methods:Data were drawn from 2,602 participants (age range = 18−98) in the 2015 Asian American Quality of Life Survey, conducted in Central Texas. In order to reach out to diverse groups of Asian Americans, culturally and linguistically sensitive approaches (e.g., survey questionnaire in Asian languages, bilingual/bicultural recruiters and survey assistants, and partnerships with key individuals and organizations within ethnic communities) were employed, resulting in a sample almost half of which were surveyed in their native languages. Latent profile analysis was performed on acculturation-related variables (nativity, proportion of life lived in the U.S., English speaking ability, familiarity with host culture, familiarity with heritage culture, identity towards ethnic origin, and sense of belonging to the community of ethnic origin). A series of logistic regression models were tested to examine the health risks (fair/poor ratings of health, oral health, and mental health) associated with the identified acculturation group memberships.

Results:Latent profile analysis on 7 acculturation-related variables identified a four-cluster solution: ‘fully bicultural,’ ‘moderately bicultural,’ ‘alienated from host culture,’ and ‘alienated from heritage culture.’ The ‘fully bicultural’ group was most advantaged in terms of self-ratings of physical, oral, and mental health. The ‘alienated from heritage culture’ group demonstrated a particular risk for physical and mental health, whereas the ‘alienated from host culture’ group was at risk for oral health.

Conclusions and Implications: The present study sheds light on the importance of using culturally and linguistically sensitive approaches to reach out to diverse groups of Asian Americans. Furthermore, our findings on the profiles of acculturation hold implications for interventions with respect to the groups to be prioritized and the strategies to be employed. Intervention efforts may be targeted on groups of individuals who are at particular health risk: the ‘alienated from heritage culture’ and ‘alienated from host culture.’ Offering opportunities to create a greater involvement with their host culture and/or culture of origin is an important consideration for interventions.