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Marianismo (La Mujer Buena) Affects Physical Activity Level in Mexican Immigrant Women

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Marianismo (La Mujer Buena) Affects Physical Activity Level in Mexican Immigrant Women Marianismo (La Mujer Buena) Affects Physical Activity Level in Mexican Immigrant Women Araceli Luna Colorado College DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this thesis to the One that has helped me get this far in life and also to my wonderful family here in Colorado Springs that has supported me in this endeavor: Lauren Schultz, Ana McKnight, Jessica Terrones, Rachel Engle, Richard Wittenbrook and Zuri Randell, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to give a special thank you to the Feminist and Gender Studies Department for funding the incentive for my participants. I greatly appreciate your generosity and support. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW Hispanic Women and Health 2-3 Mexican Women and Physical Activity 3-4 Barriers to Physical Activity 4-5 Acculturation Barriers to Physical Activity 5-7 Cultural Beliefs as Barriers to Physical Activity: Marianismo 7-9 Chicana Feminist Perspectiveson Marianismo: “La Mujer Buena” and “La Mujer Mala” 9-11 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY 11-15 CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS & ANALYSIS Participant Demographic Data 15 Acculturation 16-18 Marianismo: Womanhood in Mexican Culture as a Barrier to Physical Activity 18-24 Physical Activity Overview: Why did Some Women Engage and Others did Not? 24-28 CHAPTER FIVE: IMPLICATIONS 28-30 CHAPTER SIX: CONCLUSION 30-31 REFERENCES 32 1 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION Introduction Latina women in the United States are experiencing many preventable health problems like cardiovascular disease and high rates of obesity. For example, in 2010, the U.S. Department of Health & Services reported that 78 percent of Mexican American women were overweight or obese making this both a gender and racial issue. A study found that 94 percent of Mexican immigrant women had a positive attitude towards exercise in regards to their health meaning that they associated exercise with health and well-being; however 78 percent did not engage in regular sustained physical activity (Juarbe 2003). Physical activity has been proven to be an integral part of a healthy lifestyle that can prevent diseases like cardiovascular disease and obesity. Therefore, it is important to investigate the barriers that Mexican immigrant women are experiencing to engaging in healthy physical activity behaviors like exercise. As mothers, they are transmitting not only cultural knowledge, but also health knowledge to the future generation. A recent study showed that physical inactivity is particularly common among Latina women regardless of socioeconomic status, which was considered to be a determinant of health behaviors, showing that deeper factors are acting as barriers to physical activity among these women. It is important to realize that Mexican immigrant women have a very different worldview rooted in specific ideologies that frame their daily lives including health behaviors like physical activity. Marianismo refers to the distinct gender roles of Latina women that are based in traditional cultural values and those of Catholicism. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of marianismo beliefs on physical activity behaviors among Mexican immigrant women. 2 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW Hispanic Women and Health According to the 2011 U.S. Census Bureau, there are roughly 52 million Latinos living in the United States (U.S. Department of Health & Services). In 2010, among Latino subgroups, Mexicans were the largest subgroup making up 63 percent of the Hispanic population (U.S. Department of Health & Services). Mexican women living in the United States account for a significant portion of the population, making their health an important topic. Research has shown that these women are experiencing many preventable health problems that require further study. One major health concern for Latina women is cardiovascular disease (CVD). In 2002, cardiovascular disease was declared the leading cause of death for Latina women (U.S. Department of Health & Services). A review of literature reported that Mexican women are less likely to be knowledgeable about CVD risk factors and less likely to engage in heart healthy related behavior (Juarbe, 1998). Some of the modifiable risk factors for CVD include dietary practices, obesity, and physical inactivity. Obesity, one of the risk factors for CVD is another health concern for Mexican women in the United States. The U.S. Department of Health and & Services reported in 2010 that 78% of Mexican American women were overweight or obese. Also, Mexican American women were 40% more likely to be overweight when compared to non-Latino Whites (U.S. Department of Health and & Services, 2010). Obesity is measured with a Body Mass Index (BMI), which shows the weight to height relationship. Women with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 are considered overweight and women with a BMI of 30 or more are considered obese. Being overweight or obese increases the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, breathing problems, arthritis, gallbladder disease, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, some cancers and diabetes (U.S.Department of Health & Services, 2010). Findings from the latest report from the 3 U.S. Department of Health & Services showed that 9.5 percent of Mexican Americans aged 20 and older have diabetes and they are 1.7 times more likely to have diabetes than white Americans (2010). Physical activity can reduce the risk and even prevent CVD, obesity, diabetes and other health problems affecting Mexican immigrant women in the United States. Addressing these issues is also crucial to the health and wellbeing of future generations. In 2010, Mexican American children were 1.6 times more likely to be overweight when compared to non- Latino white children (U.S. Department of Health & Services). Mexican immigrant women will pass on cultural and health knowledge to their children, which makes them an important population to reach. Mexican Women and Physical Activity Physical activity is an integral part of a healthy lifestyle that has been proven to provide cognitive and physical health benefits. Despite these benefits, a literature review reported that Mexican women were less likely to engage in healthy dietary and physical activity behaviors (Juarbe, 1998, 2003) – did you want both of these cited here?. The Department of Health & Services supported this finding and reported that 57.1 % of Latin American women have no leisure-time physical activity (2010). Juarbe et al conducted a study to investigate the physical activity practices, attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, and cardiovascular fitness status of Mexican immigrant women who were married and had at least one child living at home. They found that 94% of the Mexican immigrant women had a positive attitude towards exercise in regards to their health, meaning that they believed that exercise positively influenced their health (2003). Although almost all participants believed that exercise positively enhanced their health, 78% did not engage in regular sustained physical activity and the majority were not physically fit 4 according to the Three Minute Step Test (Juarbe 2003). One thing this study showed was that in their sample, the women were knowledgeable about the benefits of physical activity including the recommended physical activity frequency and intensity. This finding was significant because it demonstrated that Mexican immigrant women do have knowledge about physical activity and its associated health benefits, but it does not result in a change in physical activity level. The implication is that there are other factors or barriers that need to be taken into account. Barriers to Physical Activity A lack of financial resources was reported as a barrier to physical activity (D’Alonzo, 2012). Socioeconomic status is a factor that is believed to be a determinant of health behaviors like physical activity level, but a literature review reported that physical inactivity is particularly common among Latina women regardless of socioeconomic status (D’Alonzo &Fischetti, 2008). These significant findings also suggest that other factors influence participation in moderate to vigorous physical activity among Latina women. It has also been found that racial and gender based disparities in physical activity begin during the childhood years, supporting the idea that there are cultural beliefs about the role of exercise in a woman’s life that affect participation in physical activity among Latina women (D’Alonzo & Fischetti, 2008). Other barriers to physical activity that have been reported by studies include consecutive pregnancies, negative physiological effects such as tiredness, shortness of breath, and pain (Juarbe, 2003), poor accessibility to exercise facilities, physical safety, physical activity perceptions, and psychosocial factors, such as self-esteem, and self-efficacy. One of the most commonly reported barriers to physical activity for Mexican immigrant women is lack of time due to long hours at work and long hours in the home after work (Juarbe, 1998). After they had finished their day, they felt exhausted and had no desire to exercise. In addition, social support was also commonly reported 5 as a major indicator of physical activity initiation and continuation among Latina women (D’Alonzo & Fischetti, 2008; Juarbe 2003). Mexican immigrant women know that physical activity provides them with health benefits, yet many are not implementing this knowledge into their lifestyle. One explanation is that Mexican immigrant women face the many barriers and obstacles mentioned to participating in physical activity,
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