Acculturation and Coronary Heart Disease

Acculturation is when a certain culture changes due to its contact with another culture. This can be because of emigration or an influx of tourism. Regardless of the reason why, acculturation is common because people frequently change their habits and culture in order to fit in with other cultures. Acculturation can have a major impact on coronary heart disease. Studies show that cultures who have a low general rate of coronary heart disease tend to have increased cases of heart disease once they mingle with other culture and adopt a different lifestyle.

Diet, exercise and culture can play a major part in a person's risks of coronary heart disease. Many cultures have low rates of coronary heart disease until they adopt the lifestyles of other cultures. In these cases, data shows that the more a person stays traditionally cultural, the less chance they have of increasing their risk of heart disease whereas the person who entirely adjusts their lifestyle to fit in with a new culture can significantly increase their chances of coronary heart disease.