Location: Office of The Area Director
2022 Annual Report
Objectives
1. Determine if the association between self-assessed and measured diet quality (based on the Healthy Eating Index) in adolescents is moderated by gender, body mass index, and food related behaviors using the most recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and associated Flexible Consumer Behavior Survey datasets.
2. Determine if health behavior relationships in families are moderated or mediated by psychosocial constructs related to diet and physical activity, parenting style, and community/neighborhood environments using the Family Life, Activity, Sun, Health and Eating Study datasets.
3. Measure the different food environments to which children living in the Lower Mississippi Delta region are exposed.
Approach
1. Associations between self-assessed and measured diet quality will be determined for adolescents 16-19 years of age using the 2 most recent cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). NHANES is a program of studies designed to assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the United States. Self-assessed diet quality will be based upon the Flexible Consumer Behavior Survey item “In general, how healthy is your overall diet?”. Measured diet quality will be computed using dietary intake data collected in the dietary interview component of NHANES, and the Healthy Eating Index, a diet quality scoring system. Moderation analysis will be used to determine if the association between self-assessed and measured diet quality is differentially influenced by gender, body mass index, and food related behaviors.
2. Relationships between adolescent and parent/caregiver dietary and physical activity behavior will be determined using the Family Life, Activity, Sun, Health and Eating Study (FLASHE) datasets. FLASHE is a cross-sectional, Internet based survey that was administered to dyads of parents and their adolescent child (aged 12-17 years) in 2014. It was designed to examine lifestyle behaviors, including diet and physical activity, that relate to cancer risk. Dietary behavior, related psychosocial constructs, and community/neighborhood food environment characteristics will be based upon data from the Teen Diet and Parent Diet Surveys which contained a 27-item dietary screener. Physical activity, measured as minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, and related psychosocial constructs will be based upon data from the Teen Physical Activity and Parent Physical Activity Surveys. Measures of parenting style will be obtained from the Teen Demographic and Parent Demographic Surveys using the 6 items that pertain to the adolescent/parent(s) relationship. The Actor-Partner Interdependence Model will be used to measure the influence that parents have on their adolescent's dietary and physical activity behaviors.
3. Food outlets will be measured using tools designed to assess community nutrition environments. Childcare facilities will be measured using tools designed to assess child nutrition environments specific to such facilities. Geographical analyses will be conducted to determine if patterns of food outlets are clustered, dispersed, or random in the geographic areas of interest. Census tract data will be mapped to explore spatial relationships among food outlets, child care facilities, and population demographic characteristics such as age, race/ethnicity, and poverty status.
Progress Report
Progress was made by ARS researchers in Stoneville, Mississipi, on Objectives 1 and 3, both of which fall under National Program 107, Prevention of Obesity and Obesity-Related Diseases. Objective 2 was completed in FY2021. In support of Objective 1, datasets of adolescents 16-19 years of age and adults = 20 years of age were created from the 2 most recent cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data with available dietary data, 2015-2016 and 2017-2018. Descriptive analyses were run for both the adolescent and adult datasets and 2015 Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2015) scores were computed. Associations between perceived (self-assessed) diet quality and measured diet quality (HEI-2015 scores) were computed, and matching algorithms were applied to the 2 diet quality measures to determine percentages of adolescents and adults who accurately assessed their diet quality. Accuracy ratings were computed overall and within the 5 diet quality perception groups (excellent, very good, good, fair, and poor). HEI-2015 total and component scores were compared among the 5 diet quality perception groups within each assessment class (accurate vs inaccurate). Logistic regression was used to model the probability of accurately assessing diet quality and to compute odds ratios for explanatory variables (sociodemographic characteristics, body mass index, dietary habits, and dietary plan awareness and use). These efforts have resulted in 1 manuscript submitted for publication to a peer-reviewed journal, and 4 abstracts presented at national conferences (3 virtually due to COVID-19 constraints).
In support of Objective 3, analyses of community food environment data were completed by ARS researchers in Stoneville, Mississipi. Interpretation of these analyses and subsequent reporting of results were conducted in collaboration with the University of Central Arkansas. The Mississippi Farm to School (MS F2S) Study involved two online surveys designed for small farmers and school food service directors (SFSD) in Mississippi. The small farmer survey collected data about type, quantity, and seasonality of food grown, raised, or produced; and interest in and experience with farm to school (F2S) activities. The SFSD survey collected data about purchasing practices and interest in and experience with F2S activities, particularly those involving small farmers. Data collection began in October 2021 and was completed in March 2022. Survey data were analyzed including test-retest reliability for survey validation. These efforts have resulted in 1 database made publicly available in Ag Data Commons, 1 paper published in a peer-reviewed journal, 1 manuscript submitted for publication to a peer-reviewed journal, 1 abstract presented at a national school nutrition conference, 1 abstract presented (virtually due to COVID-19 constraints) at a regional F2S conference, and an invited virtual presentation at a regional stakeholder meeting.
Accomplishments
1. United States adults cannot accurately assess their diet quality. Evidence suggests that United States adults are aware of dietary recommendations for healthful eating patterns and diet quality may be improving in some adult populations. However, whether adults can accurately assess their diet quality is not clear. ARS researchers in Stoneville, Mississippi, with University of Central Arkansas faculty in Conway, Arkansas, determined the percentage of adults, = 20 years of age, who can accurately assess the healthfulness of their diet. Based on a nationally representative sample of 9,757 adults, only 15% accurately assessed their diet quality. Accuracy percentages ranged from 97% for adults who perceived their diet quality as poor to 4% for adults who perceived their diet quality as excellent or very good. Although diet quality scores increased as adults’ perception of the healthfulness of their diet increased, 84% of adults overrated their diet quality suggesting that work is needed to educate adults about what constitutes a healthful diet.
2. United States adolescents overrate the quality of their diet. Lack of awareness about what constitutes good diet quality may lead adolescents to inaccurately assess the healthfulness of their diet. Whether this inaccuracy results in under- or overrating of diet quality is not clear. ARS researchers in Stoneville, Mississippi, with University of Central Arkansas faculty in Conway, Arkansas, determined the percentage of United States adolescents, 16-19 years of age, who accurately assessed the healthfulness of their diet. Based on a nationally representative sample of 1,086 adolescents, only 12% accurately assessed their diet quality. For those adolescents with inaccurate assessment, only 2 (<1%) underrated their diet quality while the remainder overrated their diet quality. Almost 90% of overraters received failing grades for measured diet quality. Despite the generally positive relationship between perceived and measured diet quality observed in adolescents, their tendency to overrate their diet quality suggests that work is needed to educate adolescents about components of a healthful diet.
Review Publications
Hunter, K.E., Johnson, B.J., Askie, L., Golley, R.K., Thomson, J.L. 2022. Transforming obesity prevention for CHILDren (TOPCHILD) collaboration: protocol for a systematic review with individual participant data meta-analysis of behavioural interventions for the prevention of early childhood obesity. BMJ Open. 12(1). Article e048166. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-048166.
Johnson, B.J., Hunter, K.E., Golley, R.K., Chadwick, P., Thomson, J.L. 2022. Unpacking the behavioural components and delivery features of early childhood obesity prevention interventions in the TOPCHILD collaboration: a systematic review and intervention coding protocol. BMJ Open. 12(1). Article e048165. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-048165.
Thomson, J.L., Landry, A.S., Walls, T.I. 2022. Patterns of screen time parenting practices among parent-adolescent dyads who participated in a cross-sectional internet-based study. Childhood Obesity. 18(2):92-101. https://doi.org/10.1089/chi.2021.0117.
Landry, A.S., Thomson, J.L., Walls, T.I. 2022. Procurement of foods in Mississippi Delta schools. Journal of Child Nutrition and Management. 46(1). Available: https://schoolnutrition.org/NewsPublications/JCNM/2022/Spring/.
Thomson, J.L., Goodman, M.H., Landry, A.S., Walls, T.I. 2021. Farmers' market versus grocery store produce: results of the Delta Produce Sources Study. Journal of Hunger and Environmental Nutrition. 19(1):119-132. https://doi.org/10.1080/19320248.2021.1977207.
Thomson, J.L., Walls, T.I., Landry, A.S. 2022. Mississippi farmers' interest in and experience with farm to school. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 19(13). Article 8025. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19138025.
