Food Amongst the Hispanic Population

Running head: FOOD AMONGST THE HISPANIC POPULATIONS 1

Following the Guidelines of the American Psychological Association

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Introduction

This essay will describe the relationships and expectations of weight-loss interventions for Hispanic populations. Specifically, the address will address how each of the PEN-3 model’s three factors within the dimension of relationships and expectations to the Hispanic person and provide examples.

Pen-3 Model – Perceptions

The perceptions of Hispanic people are that they tend to be curvy based on their dietary and cultural foods (Patterson, 2014). This imagery surrounding Hispanic people has been furthered rightly or wrongly or indifferently by the popularity of the actor/singer/business woman Jennifer Lopez. The perceptions are that no matter how hard the Hispanic person tries to fit their natural physique of curves into a more White and mainstream body type, this cannot be done due to genetics (Halperin, 2013). The perceptions are simply those – perceptions. As the diversity of the Hispanic Peoples has always existed, so does diversity in their comportment and weight size (Altabe, 1998).

Pen-3 Model – Enable

What enables the perceptions that Hispanic people are prone to be bigger and curvier people come from the choices of American food that are on the market that may not agree with the natural genetic makeup of Hispanic people (Branum & Lukacs, 2008). Particularly amongst children that are affected and influenced heavily by the media, when those McDonald’s commercials come in for example, these kinds and/or types of food may actually contribute to huge weight gain amongst Hispanic people compared to their own cultural diet. The key for nurturing this situation would require an intervention of promotion of the cultural foods of FOOD AMONGST THE HISPANIC POPULATIONS 3

Hispanic people to be encouraged amongst Hispanic people, as well as non-Hispanic people.

Pen-3 Model – Nurturers

The mothers in the Hispanic population who currently have great knowledge of the native foods of Hispanic people are actually the true nurturers for promoting not only healthy weight status, but a healthy lifestyle for Hispanic people (Ebaugh & Curry, 2000). When the mother nurturers and it could also be male nurturers as well because many men do know how to cook

Hispanic foods, pass on these traditions to their children, this will be ensuring that a cultural and historic diet that has been passed down through many generations in order to maintain a healthy weight balance will be maintained.

Conclusion

This essay described the relationships and expectations of weight-loss interventions for

Hispanic populations. Specifically, the address will address how each of the PEN-3 model’s three factors within the dimension of relationships and expectations to the Hispanic person and provided examples. FOOD AMONGST THE HISPANIC POPULATIONS 4

References

Altabe, M. (1998). Ethnicity and body image: Quantitative and qualitative analysis. International

journal of eating disorders, 23(2), 153-159.

Branum, A. M., & Lukacs, S. (2008). Food allergy among US children: trends in prevalence and

hospitalizations. US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics.

Ebaugh, H. R., & Curry, M. (2000). Fictive kin as social capital in new immigrant

communities. Sociological Perspectives, 43(2), 189-209.

Halperin, R. O. (2013). Weight-loss interventions for Hispanic populations: the role of

culture. Journal of obesity, 2013.

Patterson, C. J. (2014). Plus size Black and Latino women: The implications of body shape and

size for apparel design. Designing apparel for consumers: The impact of body shape and

size, 256-271.