Time in the United States and diabetes among Mexican immigrant women: The moderating role of culture.

Mexican immigrants in the U.S. show high incidence of type 2 diabetes, and increased risk is associated with longer duration of residency. This study considers the impact of culture over time for Mexican immigrant women in a southern U.S. city. Using cultural consensus analysis to empirically derive the substance and structure of a cultural model for la buena vida (the good life) among Mexican immigrant women in Birmingham, Alabama, we assess the extent to which respondents are aligned with the model in their everyday lives. This measure of 'cultural consonance' is explored as a moderating variable between length of time living in the U.S. and level of Hemoglobin A1c. Results demonstrate that for those with more time in the U.S., those with lower consonance are more likely to have diabetes, while those who are more aligned with la buena vida are at lower risk.

¿Dónde Estamos? La Cultura Laboral Chilena desde Hofstede / Where Are We? Chilean Labor Culture since Hofstede / Onde Estamos? A Cultura Organizacional Chilena a partir de Hofstede

Resumen 36 años después de la primera publicación del estudio de culturas nacionales desarrollado por Hofstede, se emprende un nuevo ejercicio para evaluar la configuración de valores de Chile. Este trabajo se enfocó en el diagnóstico de la capacidad de replicar los resultados obtenidos en estudios anteriores, a través de una muestra representativa de la población eco nómicamente activa, y buscó integrar otros estudios sobre la llamada cultura organizacional chilena. En este sentido, se llevan a cabo consideraciones respecto a la calidad de los datos y los vacíos metodológicos que presentan las mediciones anteriores y se propone cuál sería la actual configuración de la cultura laboral chilena.

Summary 36 years after Hofstedes first study of national cultures, we did a new exercise to evaluate Chile's value configuration. This work focused on the ability to replicate the results obtained in prior studies using a representative sample of the economically active population, integrating other studies on the Chilean organizational structure. The study considers the data quality and the methodological gaps of the prior measurements and proposes the Chilean work culture's cur rent configuration.

Resumo 36 depois da primeira publicação do estudo de culturas nacionais desenvolvido por Hofstede, empreende-se um novo exercício para avaliar a configuração de valores do Chile. Este trabalho focou no diagnóstico da capacidade de reprodu zir os resultados obtidos em estudos anteriores por meio de uma amostra representativa da população economicamente ativa e pretendeu integrar outros estudos sobre a chamada cultura organizacional chilena. Nesse sentido, realizam-se considerações a respeito da qualidade dos dados e dos vazios metodológicos que as medições anteriores apresentam e propõe-se qual seria a atual configuração da cultura organizacional chilena.

Maya phytomedicine in Guatemala - Can cooperative research change ethnopharmacological paradigms?

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: This paper presents one of the first large-scale collaborative research projects in ethnopharmacology, to bring together indigenous stakeholders and scientists both in project design and execution. This approach has often been recommended but rarely put into practice. The study was carried out in two key indigenous areas of Guatemala, for which very little ethnopharmacological fieldwork has been published. AIM OF THE STUDY: To document and characterize the ethno-pharmacopoeias of the Kaqchikel (highlands) and Q'eqchi' (lowlands) Maya in a transdisciplinary collaboration with the two groups Councils of Elders. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The project is embedded in a larger collaboration with five Councils of Elders representing important indigenous groups in Guatemala, two of which participated in this study. These suggested healing experts reputed for their phytotherapeutic knowledge and skills. Ethnobotanical fieldwork was carried out over 20 months, accompanied by a joint steering process and validation workshops. The field data were complemented by literature research and were aggregated using a modified version of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) and Trotter & Logan's consensus index. RESULTS: Similar numbers of species were collected in the two areas, with a combined total of 530 species. This total does not represent all of the species used for medicinal purposes. Remedies for the digestive system, the central nervous system & behavioral syndromes, and general tissue problems & infections were most frequent in both areas. Furthermore, remedies for the blood, immune & endocrine system are frequent in the Kaqchikel area, and remedies for the reproductive system are frequent in the Q'eqchi' area. Consensus factors are however low. The Kaqchikel, in contrast to the Q'eqchi', report more remedies for non-communicable illnesses. They also rely heavily on introduced species. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The transdisciplinary research design facilitated scientifically rigorous and societally relevant large-scale fieldwork, which is clearly beneficial to indigenous collaborators. It provided access and built trust as prerequisites for assembling the largest comparative ethnopharmacological collection, vastly extending knowledge on Maya phytotherapy. The collection represents knowledge of the two groups' most reputed herbalists and is a representative selection of the Guatemalan medicinal flora. ICD-10 proved useful for making broad comparisons between the groups, but more refined approaches would be necessary for other research objectives. Knowledge in the two areas is highly diverse and seems fragmented. New approaches are required to assess how coherent Maya phytotherapy is. The documented 'traditional' ethno-pharmacopoeias demonstrate dynamic change and acculturation, reflecting the two linguistic groups' sociocultural history and context. This highlights the adaptive potential of phyto-therapeutic knowledge and calls the equation of local indigenous pharmacopoeias with 'traditional' medicine into question. We suggest using the term 'local' pharmacopoeias, and reserving the term 'traditional' for the study of indigenous pharmacopoeias with a clear delineation of ancient knowledge.

The Role of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviors in Explaining the Association Between Acculturation and Obesity Among Mexican-American Adults.

PURPOSE: We investigated associations of acculturation with various types of activity (moderate-vigorous leisure-time physical activity [LTPA], moderate-vigorous work- and transportation-related physical activity, and sedentary activity), and whether these activities mediated the acculturation-obesity association among Mexican-Americans. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007-2010. SUBJECTS: Mexican-American NHANES participants aged ≥20 years (n = 1902). MEASURES: Demographic characteristics, physical activity, sedentary behavior, acculturation, and body mass index. ANALYSIS: Multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate associations of acculturation with categories of self-reported activity. Path analysis was used to test whether the activity measures mediated acculturation-obesity associations. RESULTS: In adjusted models, compared to U.S.-born Mexican-Americans, foreign-born Mexican-Americans living in the United States for less than 10 years were significantly less likely to be in the highest LTPA and sedentary activity categories, and more likely to be in the highest total and transportation activity categories. Foreign-born Mexican-Americans living in the United States for 10 years or more were significantly less likely to engage in high sedentary activity but more likely to engage in high transportation activity. Sedentary behavior was the strongest mediator of the acculturation-obesity association, accounting for 40.7% and 57.1% of the total effect of acculturation on obesity among foreign-born Mexican-Americans living in the United States for less than 10 years and for 10 years or more, respectively, compared to U.S.-born Mexican-Americans. CONCLUSION: Reducing sedentary behavior may lower the negative impact of acculturation on obesity.