El Sancocho, la Bandera y la Familia: La vida social de los alimentos y sus implicaciones para la salud y el bienestar de los inmigrantes dominicanos.

Para comprender mejor los factores que influyen en la salud y el bienestar de los inmigrantes dominicanos, exploramos las formas en que la inmigración influye en las prácticas culturales, el comportamiento de salud y la salud. Los inmigrantes dominicanos (n = 42) participaron en cinco discusiones grupales reflexivas y no estructuradas y (n = 5) participaron en un grupo de fotovoz intergeneracional. La pérdida del contexto familiar y social en el que tradicionalmente se llevan a cabo las prácticas dietéticas dominicanas fue un tema destacado. Para los participantes, comer se convirtió en una actividad apresurada y superficial que involucraba a menos personas y menos socialización. Las prácticas dietéticas en la República Dominicana se establecen en el contexto de las normas familiares y los procesos sociales, que brindan apoyo, así como oportunidades para la socialización y la transmisión de prácticas culturales a través de las generaciones. En los Estados Unidos, las fuerzas sociopolíticas más amplias se enfocan en el individualismo y no apoyan el desarrollo o mantenimiento de patrones culturales para los dominicanos. Las políticas que promueven el equilibrio entre el trabajo y la vida personal pueden tener implicaciones importantes para las prácticas dietéticas en las nuevas comunidades de inmigrantes.

El Sancocho, la Bandera y la Familia: The Social Life of Food and its Implications for Dominican Immigrant Health and Well-Being.

In order to better understand factors that influence the health and well-being of Dominican immigrants, we explored the ways in which immigration influences cultural practices, health behavior, and health. Dominican immigrants (n = 42) took part in five reflective and unstructured group discussions and (n = 5) participated in an intergenerational photovoice group. The loss of the familial and social context in which Dominican dietary practices traditionally take place was a salient theme. For participants, eating became a rushed, perfunctory activity involving fewer people and less socializing. Dietary practices in the Dominican Republic are set in the context of familial norms and social processes, which provide support as well as opportunities for socializing and the transmission of cultural practices across generations. In the United States, broader sociopolitical forces are guided by individualism and do not support the development or maintenance of these factors for Dominicans. Policies that promote work-life balance may have important implications for dietary practices in new immigrant communities.

'There You Enjoy Life, Here You Work': Brazilian and Dominican Immigrants' Views on Work and Health in the U.S.

Structural inequalities in the U.S. work environment place most immigrants in low paying, high-risk jobs. Understanding how work experiences and influence the health of different immigrant populations is essential to address disparities. This article explores how Brazilian and Dominican immigrants feel about their experiences working in the U.S. and how the relationship between work and culture might impact their health. In partnership with the Dominican Development Center and the Brazilian Worker Center, we held five cultural conversations (CCs) with Brazilians (n = 48) and five with Dominicans (n = 40). CCs are participatory, unstructured groups facilitated by representatives from or embedded in the community. Brazilian immigrants focused on physical health and the American Dream while Dominicans immigrants emphasized concerns about the influence of work on mental health. Dominicans' longer tenure in the U.S. and differences in how Brazilians and Dominicans are racialized in the region might account for the variation in perspectives between groups. Future studies should further investigate the relationship between health and how immigrants' work lives are shaped by culture, race and immigrant status.