African Americans, health behaviors, and acculturation: Does age matter?

Differences in the level of acculturation in African Americans have been shown to be associated with variations in health behaviors within this group. Few studies have examined the association by age group. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between acculturation and health behaviors by age group among African American men and women in Charlotte, NC. African Americans (n=150) age 25 and older completed the African American Acculturation Scale (AAAS) and a questionnaire about their health behaviors and other demographic information. Logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between acculturation (using the total scale score and individual subscale scores) and lifestyle health behaviors including: smoking, consumption of fruits and vegetables, eating fewer sweets, salting food, and drinking reduced fat milk. Findings reveal that the association between acculturation and certain health behaviors varies by age group. Among participants below 50 years of age, being less acculturated was found to be significantly positively associated with being a current or former smoker and having poor dietary practices (regression coefficient [RC]=18.14, 95% confidence interval [95 CI] 13.12, 23.16; RC=19.23, 95 CI 13.79-24.68; RC=16.62, 95 CI 11.31-21.93, respectively). The reverse was true for those in the 50 years and above group, with being a former smoker having a positive association with being traditionally African American (RC=1.26, 95 CI -0.17-2.69). The findings in the older age group are inconsistent with previous research on this topic. More research is needed to assess age group differences in the relationship between acculturation and health behaviors.