From a Different Perspective: Exploring youth’s food practices among immigrant Latinx families

Speaker/Performer: Michelle Y. Martin Romero, M.S., CHES, is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Biobehavioral Health at The Pennsylvania State University

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Description: Traditionally, childhood obesity research has investigated the ways in which parents contribute to youth (i.e., children and adolescents) and family’s eating patterns. Based on this large body of work, it is clear that parents play an important role in youth’s dietary patterns. However, by exclusively focusing on parents as agents of change, we ignore the importance of other members within the family system– in particular, youth. The overarching purpose of this study is to explore the interplay of sociocultural, developmental, and environmental factors related to Latinx youth’s participation in family food practices. This work represents a paradigm shift in thinking about who is involved in these processes and systematically investigates families’ experiences on when, why, and how youth’s participation occurs. To do this, this study utilizes participatory focus groups and in-depth interviews embedded within a 6-month ethnographic fieldwork period set in a rural, small town in Northeastern USA. Preliminary findings from this work will be discussed within the context of migration and health as new narratives are examined. Results from this study may increase our understanding of how youth contribute to family functioning and family health. In addition, this study’s inclusion of Latinx families from non-Mexican backgrounds living in a new immigrant destination makes for a unique context, which may broaden our understanding of Latinx families’ experiences in general.