Acculturation

Acculturation can be defined as a continuum. At one end the retention of values and beliefs from one’s own culture of origin is maintained. Moving towards the center of the continuum, one can become bilingual and bicultural easily shifting from traditional practices to adopting practices of the mainstream society. At the end of the continuum, individuals may fully adopt the values and beliefs of the mainstream society thus no longer identifying with their original culture (Valle, 1989).

There are several dimensions of acculturation which include use of language, country of origin, length of residence, contact with country of origin, parental expectations, food preferences. Familiarity with the acculturation continuum and dimensions within the continuum may help to facilitate and enhance the communication with older adult Hispanic/Latino patients.

Previous studies have shown that higher levels of acculturation at various dimensions increase the likelihood for access to certain screenings or healthcare. Acculturation can have mixed effects on health behaviors by encouraging beneficial behavior while also contributing to less favorable behavior.

For example, in a study of physical activity adherence among 245 midlife older Latino/a adults, those who were more acculturated were 2.6 times more likely to adhere to the recommended levels of exercise over the study period of 12 months (Zamora et al., 2025). The mean age of the sample was 62.3 years and over 75% women. This suggests that physical activity can be influenced by acculturation levels and strategies to address individuals who are less acculturated are necessary.

Another study examined US acculturation and cognitive performance among Latinos who were 60 years or older. Participants were from the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging (SALSA). The study found that Latinos who were highly acculturated were associated with better cognitive performance compared to the less acculturated (Martinez-Miller et al., 2020). In the study, acculturation and education were closely linked.