Understanding the sociocultural roots of childhood obesity: Food practices among Latino families of Bushwick, Brooklyn

• Published in: Social science & medicine (1982) Vol. 64; no. 11; pp. 2177 - 2188
• Main Authors: Kaufman, Leslie, Karpati, Adam
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.06.2007; Elsevier; Pergamon Press Inc
• Series: Social Science & Medicine
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Anthropology of food; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child health; Childhood; Childhood Factors; Childhood obesity; Childhood obesity Food practices Latinos USA Children Poverty Families; Children; Children & youth; Cultural anthropology; Cultural Characteristics; Cultural factors; Diet; Families; Families & family life; Family; Female; Food; Food consumption; Food practices; Food Preferences; General aspects; Health; Hispanic Americans; Hispanics; Humans; Interviews as Topic; Latin American Cultural Groups; Latin American people; Latinos; Male; Medical anthropology; Medical sciences; Medicine; Metabolic diseases; Miscellaneous; New York; New York City; Nutrition; Obesity; Obesity - etiology; Pediatrics; Poverty; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Social sciences; Sociology; U.S.A; United States of America; USA; United States; North America; America; New York City; Bushwick-Brooklyn NY; Food practices; USA; Childhood obesity; Poverty; Latinos; Children; Families; Human; Obesity; Family study; Food habit; Nutrition disorder; Comprehension; Latinamerican; Knowledge; Ethnic group; Family environment; General practice; Social medicine; Cultural aspect; Child; Social aspect; Nutritional status; Public health
• ISSN: 0277-9536; 1873-5347
• DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2007.02.019

Despite prevention efforts, childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. This ethnographic study seeks to enhance understandings of the sociocultural dimensions of childhood obesity and inform prevention efforts. Using participant observation, interviews, and life histories, this research probes the sociocultural roots of childhood obesity by exploring the food practices and everyday lives of Latino families in Bushwick, Brooklyn, a low-income neighborhood in New York City. Mired in persistent poverty, Latino families burdened by teetering resources provide for their children using coping strategies in which everyday food practices play an important part. These practices illuminate cultural ideas about good parenting, well-being, and conceptions of the body. We argue that these practices, embedded in the neighborhood food environment, drive food choice and related activities of families, often leading to overweight and obesity in their children. They form the sociocultural roots of childhood obesity, and their implications are critically important for how public health professionals approach the relationship of food, nutrition, and obesity.