The role of acculturation in explaining ethnic differences in the prenatal health-risk behaviors, mental health, and parenting beliefs of Mexican American and European American at-risk women

OBJECTIVE: To assess: (1) ethnic differences in the health-risk behaviors, mental health problems, and adverse parenting beliefs during pregnancy of low-income Mexican American and European American women; and, (2) the extent to which these risks varied with levels of acculturation among low-income Mexican American women. METHOD: Participants were 594 primiparous, low-income, urban women. A cross-sectional design was used to compare the 331 Mexican American women to the 263 European American. Language was used to assess the level of acculturation of the Mexican American women. Interviews were used to evaluate health-risk behaviors, mental health problems, and adverse parenting beliefs. RESULTS: In comparison to European American women, Mexican American women were at lower risk for cigarette smoking during pregnancy and higher risk for adverse parenting beliefs. Among Mexican American women, Spanish speakers were at lower risk for cigarette smoking and mental health problems during pregnancy, and higher risk for adverse parenting beliefs than bilingual and English speakers. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that ethnic differences in cigarette smoking and parenting beliefs during pregnancy were concentrated on the less acculturated, low-income, and primarily unmarried Spanish speaking Mexican American women. Moreover, acculturation is differentially related to cigarette smoking and parenting beliefs. Therefore, acculturation needs to be considered in the development of preventive interventions in order to appropriately target the specific needs of different sub-populations of Mexican Americans.